Tributes for former Muir pupil Otter
Eccentric official murdered in Cape Town home grew up in Uitenhage
TRIBUTES have been pouring in on social media for well known City of Cape Town employee Steven Otter. Otter, 43, who grew up in Uitenhage, was killed during a burglary at his home in Harfield Village, Claremont, in the early hours of Friday.
Otter’s older brother, Thomas, 46, who lives in Taiwan, described Steven as a talented writer and “a confidant with a heart of gold”.
“Steven was larger than life but, from an early age, he always had a caring heart for the less fortunate despite our own circumstances.
“It is a crazy time for our family right now but our faith is keeping us strong,” Thomas said.
Otter, who had been asleep in his home with his partner, Nathalie, and her seven-yearold daughter, woke up to two men armed with knives standing beside their bed.
“When I called Nathalie, she was sobbing as she told me the tragic news,” Thomas said.
“She said Steven told her to shout [out of the window] for help while he tried to fight them off.
“He enticed them out of the room and Nathalie locked the door. The fight ensued outside the room.
“When things became quiet, she went out of the bedroom and he died in her arms. There were knife wounds to his face and chest,” he said.
The couple had moved into the new house just two weeks earlier.
Born in Johannesburg, Otter moved with his family to Uitenhage when he was two after his father took a job at Volkswagen.
He went to College Hill Prep School and matriculated at Muir College in 1991.
He then joined the army for 18 months, completing his basic training in Grahamstown following a stint in Lesotho. On his return, he started studying towards a journalism degree at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
In the early 2000s, Otter gained attention for choosing to live in one of Cape Town’s townships, Khayelitsha, for a year. He wrote about his experiences in his book, uMlungu in a Township, published by Penguin in 2007.
Otter worked for the City of Cape Town as the head of community engagement for transport. He was also Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s former spokesman. He often turned heads for walking around barefoot, in a suit.
“Steven was many things, but it all came back to his concern for the downtrodden and less fortunate,” Thomas said.
“His politics stemmed from that and even though he had always been a little eccentric, he was a great person and I am blessed to have been able to call him my brother.
“My heart goes out to his beautiful six-year-old daughter, Maya – I know she can be proud to call him her dad.”