South Africans React After Elon Musk Pledges SpaceX Shares Exclusively to US Children

Pretoria-born billionaire Elon Musk announced he would give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States. News commentator Dylan Page, known online as News Daddy, broke down the announcement in a Facebook clip shared on 19 October 2026. With roughly 72 million children under 18 in the US and SpaceX shares valued at approximately $148 each (R2,500), the total pledge adds up to around $10.5 billion (around R164,409,500,000.00), which is about 1% of Musk’s estimated net worth of $904 billion (around R14,864,155,600,000.00). US President Donald Trump confirmed the shares would be deposited into government-managed, tax-advantaged savings accounts known as “Trump Accounts.”

According to the New York Times, the announcement followed a public dig at AI company Anthropic, which had pledged 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund to cushion the blow of AI-driven job losses. Musk criticised the model and said stock should go “directly to the public” instead. Page framed the pledge as a question worth asking: genuine generosity, or a long-term marketing strategy? He pointed out that millions of American children growing up as SpaceX shareholders would have a personal financial interest in seeing the company succeed, making it potentially one of the most clever investment moves in corporate history. The pledge is not without controversy. Despite signing the Giving Pledge in 2012, Musk’s record on following through is patchy.

A 2021 promise to donate $6 billion to the UN World Food Programme to help end world hunger was never fulfilled. His foundation has also regularly missed minimum statutory payout requirements. The announcement also came after Musk spent over $276 million supporting US Republican political groups between July and October 2026. The giveaway applies exclusively to American children enrolled in US government savings accounts. Children in South Africa and the rest of the world are excluded entirely. South Africans, who were quick to point out Musk’s Pretoria roots, did not hold back in the comments section on Dylan’s Facebook page: @Gezell Andrea Johannes said: “Amazing, he forgot where he came from.”

@Athi Magqirhana wrote: “Charity starts at home, Elon, start with South Africa first 🤣🤣🤣” @Zakhele Gallo added: “But he was born in South Africa 🇿🇦” (Translation of the isiZulu: “He is a son of the soil, Musk”) @Mpukwana Lwandile asked: “Haibo, what does our homeboy say about us?” (Translation from isiZulu: “What does he say about us?”) @Kïng Køñg simply wrote: “Why not everyone globally 😔” Others were more sceptical about the pledge itself. @Reitumetse Mogotsi II said: “He’ll put it in a foundation and eat it all 😒.” @John M’c Charles was more direct: “My pick, it’s a long-term game 🎯.” @Marc Belonga offered a sharper read: “Millions of kids have to hold it for at least 18 years, stabilising stock from short sellers and market volatility.”

https://briefly.co.za/people/256528-amazing-forgot-sa-questions-musks-spacex-pledge-kids/

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