Kewpie was born Eugene Fritz in District Six in 1942.[1][2] She was one of six siblings, but only herself and her brother, Trevor and sister Ursula, lived to become adults.[3] She started taking ballet lessons at the University of Cape Town when she was 14.[2] She was offered the chance to dance overseas, but her father refused the offer, causing a rift in their relationship.[3] Nevertheless, her father did eventually help Kewpie get a job as a hairdresser and even bought her salon for her.[3]
The salon became a place where the queer community could safely meet and perform drag shows, or "Moffie concerts."[3] Kewpie performed under the name Capucine.[3] Kewpie saw her gender identity as fluid, though most often used she/her pronouns.[1] The family of her partner, Brian Armino, considered Kewpie to be a woman and treated her as such.[2]
In the 1960s, Kewpie's family moved out of District Six.[1] When there were forced removals of people in the district in 1968, Kewpie refused to move and moved in with friends.[2][1] She later opened a new salon, Salon Kewpie, in Kensington.[1]
Later in life, her sister, Ursula, took Kewpie into her home.[4] Kewpie had throat cancer and had her trachea removed.[4] After that operation, Ursula helped Kewpie into a retirement home.[4] Kewpie continued to cut hair in the home for the other residents.[4]
Kewpie died in Kensington in 2012.[1][5] Kewpie had first given her well-documented and labeled pictures to GALA in 1999.[6] In 2018, an exhibition of the photos in context with the history of her life opened at the District Six Museum.[7]
