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Johannesburg - The prominence of a jock or rugby culture in some South African schools led people to behave like former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, the father of SA born inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk has said.
"It is about whether they can play rugby or not," Errol Musk told News24, following comments he recently made about Elon once being beaten up so badly in Grade 8 that he did not immediately recognise him.
"If boys grow up like that, they end up being like Oscar Pistorius who shoots his girlfriend, and shoots out of a car and at a restaurant. It starts at schools."
He said that while the education system catered for pupils who wanted to learn, a few bad apples often caused problems for the others.
"Ninety percent want to study, it's only that 10% who don't. Schools do not take notice of their [the 10%'s] behaviour."
Earlier Errol Musk told BizNews's Alec Hogg that his son was so injured after being attacked by fellow pupils at Bryanston High School that he "didn't recognise him at Sandton Clinic".
The boy was in hospital for two weeks.
He also said that police did not want to do anything about it.
“I laid a charge of assault, but the Randburg police declined to prosecute, saying it was just 'skoolseuns wat rondspeel' [schoolboys that are playing around]. The school itself was non-committal."
He went on to say that prior to removing his son from the school, he would drive him to school daily.
Errol Musk told News24 on Wednesday that this incident was "way past bullying".
"South Africa is seen as having a jock culture. It might produce intellectual people, but it is not an intellectual culture."
He said schools sometimes did not take action against errant pupils because they were playing rugby for the institution.
"I don't believe boys should be forced to play rugby."
He said that despite his intellectual ambitions, Elon was fond of certain sports.
"He was an expert horse rider and an expert shot with a rifle," Errol said, adding that his son was also extremely good at skiing.
"He was a very sporting guy."
Elon is the founder, chief executive and chief technology officer of aerospace company SpaceX, as well as the chief executive of electric motorcar company Tesla Motors.
He was also one of the founders of online payment system PayPal.
