M*sk is a draft dodger and his track record shows that his claim he did it to "avoid taking part in apartheid" is an outright lie.
My compulsory military service started the same year he ran away. It was a time of change, South Africa was withdrawing from Namibia. My intake never saw combat. I learnt discipline and skills I still use.
A year after my national service started, Mr Mandela was released. Six months later, my intake's national service ended 6 months early.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/musk-military-draft-south-africa/
@AndyK1970 @uastronomer Far be it from me to defend one effing thing that disgusting a-hole does/did, but... I was in matric in ‘92 when compulsory military service ended (iirc). I had already decided to postpone the military service by going to university first (which was allowed), in the hope it would be cancelled by the time I finished my degree. So I was very relieved to hear it was ended even before I finished matric. I disagreed with mandatory enlistment then, and still do (outside of actual war times). Had I had the opportunity to move abroad to avoid it, I'll admit I probably would've also seriously considered it (I didn't have such an opportunity then).
(Now, M*sk lying about “not wanting to take part in apartheid”. Oh puh-lease!)
@leoncowle @uastronomer I was in the Feb '89 intake. I was extremely lucky, the whole mess was starting to get dismantled as I was arriving for basic training. We never saw combat, I was taught life skills and some technical skills that helped me in my later career.
I have (fortunately not "had") three older brothers, I know how lucky I was with that timing.