The Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General (Adv.) Thembisile Patekile, has welcomed the sentencing of Daniel Smit for the murder of 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk in February 2022.
Smit (58) appeared in the Vredendal High Court following his conviction for the premeditated murder of van Wyk.
On Monday, the court sentenced Smit to life imprisonment for premeditated murder, 15 years for attempted murder, 10 years for kidnapping, five years for violating corpse, and three years for defeating the ends of justice.
Adv Patekile commended the work of the investigating officers, the Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, and everyone involved in the prosecution of Smit.
Murder
According to police spokesperson Captain Frederick C. van Wyk, Smit chased down and dumped the deceased with his LDV after accusing him and his friend of stealing fruit from his property.
Cpt. van Wyk stated that following the incident, the convicted suspect grabbed the deceased, threw him into the back of his truck and drove away with him to his home.
“The 14 year old friend went to the police and reported the incident. The police went to the accused’s house to look for the child but he told them that he does not know anything about the child,” Captain Frederick van Wyk said.
“Further investigations led to the discovery of human remains of the child when they were found in the sewerage pipes of the accused’s premises. DNA was conducted and the results came back positive.”
Smit was then arrested for attempted murder, kidnapping, premeditated murder, violating a corpse, and for defeating the ends of justice.
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