Daniel Smit set to return to court for the murder of Jerobejin van Wyk
During a previous appearance earlier this month, the court heard Daniel Smit, intends to plead guilty.
Murder accused Daniel Smit appeared in the Vredendal Magistrates Court on 7 October 2024. Picture: NPA
Disclaimer : The following story contains details of a child murder that may be upsetting to some readers
CAPE TOWN - The man accused of the murder of 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk in Klawer in February 2022 is due back in the dock in Vredendal on Monday.
During a previous appearance earlier in October, the court heard that Daniel Smit intended to plead guilty.
The matter was postponed for the State to consider his plea.
Smit's trial was set to begin earlier this month, more than two years after tragedy struck the West Coast town of Klawer.
But the court heard the 58-year-old intended to plead guilty.
Smit had previously undergone mental observation at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital and was declared fit to stand trial.
READ: Jerobejin van Wyk murder: Accused Daniel Smit intends to plead guilty
Van Wyk was killed after he and a friend were accused of stealing mangoes.
The prosecution alleges that the accused drove into the deceased with his bakkie, stabbed the child, dismembered his body and burnt parts in an attempt to hide the crime.
Parts of Jerobejin's body were found in a drain on Smit's property two days after the child was reported missing.
Months later, more human remains were found in an oil drum by the new homeowner while he was cleaning the property.