Husband denies rumours

Rumours that surfaced shortly after the disappearance of Heidi Scheepers (35) and her two children, Hugo (2) and Cozette (6), have been haunting their father and husband, Ettienne. On Monday 28 October, Scheepers granted the George Herald an exclusive interview to give his version of events, and to dismiss any rumours about their private life.

Read Scheepers’ full statement at www. georgeherald.com.

During the interview Scheepers denied rumours of:

A fight with his wife on the beach before they parted;

An extramarital affair of any kind;

Financial problems; Him physically abusing his wife and children;

Any kind of fraud, including insurance fraud;

His wife suffering from depression at the time of the tragedy;

His son being diagnosed with the same condition (Holoprosencephaly) as his daughter. Cozette was diagnosed with a very rare condition called *Holoprosencephaly (HPE) at birth and has been attending Up with Downs, the local school for children with special needs, for the last four years. “Hugo was a normal healthy twoyear-old who ruled our household,” he said.

According to Ettienne’s brother, Marius Scheepers, Ettienne and Heidi “went to the ends of the earth for their children”.

As for rumours about Heidi suffering from depression, Scheepers admitted that she did go through “a dip” last year. “She received medication and treatment for it and earlier this year the doctors said that she didn’t need any medication or treatment anymore. It was under control and she was fine,” he said.

* Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is an abnormality of brain development in which the brain doesn’t properly divide into the right and left hemispheres.