Elon Musk’s role in the ongoing spat between Donald Trump and South Africa has brought to the fore ties between powerful US interests and individuals linked to the apartheid-era.
The tech tycoon is on everybody’s radar, but there are several other individuals in US business and political circles whose rise to the top can be traced to the privileges that the apartheid system gave to White people at the expense of indigenous Black South Africans.
In this interview, journalist and former South Africa correspondent for The Guardian newspaper Chris McGreal explains how men with links to apartheid South Africa created the payment platform PayPal.
It’s true that most of them were children during the apartheid era and played no role in the regime’s atrocities. However, the fact is that the privileges they derived from the system gave them a headstart that enabled them to rise to where they are today. Most importantly, it also shaped their political views – which, as Musk has shown in recent weeks, are largely anti-African.
Credit: Democracy Now!