Eba Kandovazu
THE family of 20-year-old Eddy Ortmann, who killed himself after finding out he is not the father of a three-month old baby girl, is seeking assistance in burying him tomorrow.
His sister, Queen Ortmann, told the Windhoek Observer that Eddy committed suicide on January 1st, following an argument between him and his girlfriend. The two had been together for a year. According to her, during the argument, Eddy’s girlfriend (name withheld to protect the baby’s identity) had been out the previous night and only returned the following morning.
Her mother, during the argument reportedly shouted that Eddy is not the father. Queen explains that the family had spent New Year’s Eve together and that the deceased spent the night with the baby alone while the mother was out with her friends.
“They argued about it twice and she had an attitude. After some time, my brother left all of us outside and went in the room,” Queen relates, describing her late brother as a people’s person.
The family, including six siblings and Eddy reside in Windhoek’s Damara location. Their 59-year old mother is unemployed, Queen said. The family said they secured a casket for Eddy.
The family is appealing to good Samaritans to assist them in securing funds to dress the deceased, chairs, a tent and food for the burial, which is slated for tomorrow at Pioneerspark cemetery.
“We really need as much help as we can get because my brother also doesn’t have anything to wear. It is quite stressful. We do not have much, I braid hair and do nails. My mother receives food bank packages and my father steps in here and there,” Queen says.
Queen says the family will conduct a DNA test after the burial to confirm paternity. Meanwhile, Eddy’s girlfriend and her mother have been barred from attending the funeral.
