Elon Musk's Review Of Sa: Glowing For Cape Town, Grim For Other Parts

South African-born US billionaire Elon Musk has praised Cape Town as a tourist destination - but paints a grim picture of other parts of the country.

Musk offered the mixed review on X social media platform, which he owns, on Wednesday 19 February. He was responding to question by X user Naomi Seibt.

A friend of mine young woman intends to travel to South Africa to see a friend. Would you caution against it altogether or what kind of advice would you give her? Seibt had asked Olympic and Commonwealth champion swimmer Roland Schoeman.

In response, Musk wrote , Cape Town is essentially a beautiful theme park and is generally kept safe for the tourists, so staying in the tourist areas is probably OK.

Other parts of the country can be extremely dangerous for a woman traveling alone with no gun. If visiting a trusted friend, listen very carefully to the directions of that friend. Do not get lost or go exploring without an escort.

The SpaceX and Tesla owner was born in Pretoria in 1971. He moved with his mother Maye Musk to Canada in 1989 when he was 17 and obtained Canadian citizenship soon thereafter. He later moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 2002.

His father, Errol Musk, still lives in South Africa. Its unclear if Musk, now aged 53, has visited the country in recent years.

However, the worlds richest man has retained a keen interest in the country as evidenced by his frequent - and sometimes controversial - comments on social media.

Furthermore, satellite internet company Starlink , which is a division of SpaceX, is eyeing entry into South Africa. However, local empowerment laws have reportedly held up the launch.

No one to miss an opportunity, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis thanked Musk for his glowing review of the coastal city.