Kwaito Star Shoots Girlfriend, Kills Himself
By Denver Isaacs , 18 Sep 2008Popular Namibian musician YT de Wet shot dead his girlfriend and then put a bullet through his own head in Windhoek yesterday.
The shooting drama played out in public in the city’s Ausspannplatz area, where 23-year-old Elsé Eigowas died at around 12h30 on the pavement in Guthenberg Street.
De Wet (30), real name Titus Antonio, died shortly after he was rushed to the Katutura State Hospital.
Police confirmed that both died of single gunshot wounds to the head.
Pedestrians and people working in the area witnessed the shooting.
One group of bystanders said that a few minutes before the shooting, they saw De Wet frantically pacing the street while talking on his cellphone.
“it was very hard to believe that he took his own life, because he was so full of life himself.”
Eigowas then emerged from her workplace on Guthenberg Street, witnesses said, and the two were seen arguing on the pavement.
Two shots were heard, the witnesses said, and De Wet was found crouching over his girlfriend’s dead body.
Police also confirmed that the murder weapon used was a 9 mm Makarov pistol.
The Tsumeb-born De Wet made his name as a Kizomba, hip-hop and Afro-Kwaito musician, and has released two albums - ‘Mind Power’ and ‘Be Proud of Yourself’.
According to the Police’s public relations department, a suicide note was apparently found on the scene.
YT’s death has rocked the Namibian music fraternity.
He was a well-liked and respected figure amongst his peers and was regarded as someone who exuded energy.
One musician, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, described YT as “someone always full of life”, adding that “it was very hard to believe that he took his own life, because he was so full of life himself.”
The second-eldest in a family of six, and a matriculant from the Jakob Marengo Secondary School, YT was still reaping the success of his second album, ‘Be Proud of Yourself’, which was released in November.
Gifted with immense musical talent, the performer not only sang, but he also produced the beats himself.
He also had his own music label - Go Jack.
His mesmerising stage presence drew large crowds wherever he performed.
His music also gained popularity in southern Angola, as he become a regular performer at Ondjiva.
YT also took his music to Livingstone in southern Zambia, where her performed to sell-out shows.
He and Eigowas, the parents of a two-year-old girl, were also business partners.
Eigowas acted as De Wet’s manager.
