WATCH: ‘South Africa is a very violent place,’ – Elon Musk

South African born Elon Musk says South Africa is a very violent country.

The billionaire and CEO of Space X and Tesla was responding to questions on the Full Send Podcast about whether he had ever been in fights.

Elon Musk said being bullied in South Africa probably helped motivate him to achieve success in life and although he never started any, he was regularly in fights he didn’t want to be in.

“Where I grew up the things were very violent. I mean I never started a fight or anything, but I had a lot of fights that I didn’t want to be in and I got beat up really badly in a few of them actually. So, I’ve been in real hardcore street fights.”

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Asked at what age he was involved in these fights, Musk said he was very young.

“I don’t know, from when I was about six to sixteen actually. I grew up in South Africa, it’s a very violent place. It may have played a role (motivated him into becoming who he is), it certainly toughens you up that’s for sure.”

Musk said he was “bookish” when he was a youngster in South Africa.

“I was like reading a lot of books and just kind of a nerd basically, I worked with computers and books and stuff. I was kind of like late bloomer from size standpoint, so I was like small relatively speaking.”

“Around age 16, is when they stopped trying to beat me up because it didn’t work out well for them. They tried, and I knocked a guy out,” said Musk.

Musk is not the only person who has echoed the violence in the country.

Last week, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said criminals, including zama zamas have taken over South Africa, and the country has become ungovernable.

The premier’s comments came while addressing Kagiso residents following violent protests, and a day after a South African Defence Force (SANDF) internal memo was leaked about the crime situation in the country.

The leaked internal memo states the ‘situation in the Republic of South Africa is gradually deteriorating into unrest due to criminality that is taking place with the borders,’ which has been exacerbated by a perceived lack of action from security forces to combat criminality.

Last July, South Africa was hit by a wave of devastating violence that left over 350 people dead and cost billions in economic damage.

ALSO READ: “SA is ungovernable, criminals have taken over” – David Makhura