What's the story about the Musk family's emerald mine? Elon's father Errol explains

Musk's father has claimed that his studies in the USA were funded by the money the former earned from his emerald 'mine'

Elon Musk, a businessman whose celebrity status is no less than any Hollywood superstar, has had one thing that has been tainting his image of the self-made man — the alleged emerald mine that his father owned back in Zambia.

Musk, who had himself earlier asserted the existence of said mine in an interview with Ask Men, has now denied the same, saying in a tweet on January 8, "The fake emerald mine thing is so annoying (sigh). Like where exactly is this thing anyway!?"

Earlier this month, Musk had also tweeted saying he will pay "a million Dogecoin for proof of this mine’s existence!"

However, this time around, his father Errol has spoken out. In an interview with British tabloid The Sun, Errol said, "When I read that, I wondered, 'Can I enter, because I can prove it existed."

"Elon knows it's true. All the kids know about it," he added.

He even went on to claim that Elon and his other children know about this mine since they saw emeralds in their house while growing up.

Errol further clarified in his interview that he met an Italian who owned the mine in question on an airstrip in Zambia and entered into the business with him.

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The senior Musk told The Sun, "What Elon is saying is that there was no formal mine. It was a rock formation protruding from the ground in the middle of nowhere," and also clarified that his part in the business was kept "under the table".

He explained, "There was no mining company. There are no signed agreements or financial statements. No one owned anything. The deal was done on a handshake with the Italian man at a time when Zambia was a free for all."

Elon's travel to the USA where he studied on scholarship at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania was funded by the money his father earned off the emerald mine, Errol clarified.

He also said that his son's main concern about the mine story is "not to appear to be a 'trust fund kid' who got everything given to him on a plate."

The proud father went on to add, "Elon took risks and worked like blazes to be where he is today. The emeralds helped us through a very trying time in South Africa, when people were fleeing the country in droves, including his mother's whole family, and earning opportunities were at an all-time low."