Jerobejin van Wyk murder: Mother picking up the pieces after killer gets life behind bars
In a letter to the court, Smit apologised and asked for forgiveness, but following Monday's sentencing, Triesa van Wyk again spoken of her heartbreak and her inability to forgive her child's killer.
Jerobejin van Wyk's mother, Triesa, outside court in Vredendal, 4 November 2024. Picture: Lauren Isaacs/Eyewitness News
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS
CAPE TOWN - A child killer from Klawer will carry out a life sentence behind bars, while the boy's mother remains heartbroken and unforgiving.
Fifty-eight-year-old Daniel Smit, who was taught how to kill as a member of an occult group during his youth, admitted to breaking 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk's neck after knocking him over with his bakkie and then offering him food.
The murder took place on Smit's home in February 2022, after he had accused the boy and a friend of stealing fruit off his property.
In a letter to the court, Smit apologised and asked for forgiveness, but following Monday's sentencing, Triesa van Wyk again spoken of her heartbreak and her inability to forgive her child's killer.
However, she feels she can now finally start picking up the pieces.
The high court, sitting in Vredendal, sentenced Smit to life imprisonment for murder, 10 years for kidnapping, 15 years for attempted murder, three years for defeating the ends of justice, and five years for violating a corpse.
The sentences will run concurrently and Smit will not be eligible for parole until he's served two-thirds of his sentence.