Daniel Smit has been convicted on multiple charges related to the 2022 death of 13-year-old Jerobejin Van Wyk, in Klawer, in the Western Cape. Smit’s conviction on Monday in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Vredendal included counts of premeditated murder, kidnapping, and desecration of a corpse.
The tragic incident comes after Jerobejin and a friend were supposedly caught stealing mangoes from Smit’s property. The boy was chased down by Smit in his vehicle. According to the court’s findings, Smit then inflicted fatal injuries on the teenager. The State rejected Smit’s initial pleas of guilt, to lessen charges.
The court ultimately found Smit guilty on all charges, noted National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila.
“You will remember that he pleaded guilty to five counts but chose to plead guilty to reckless driving and murder (not premeditated). We rejected his pleas and pursued the charges we preferred against him which included attempted murder and premeditated murder. The State was successful in this.”
Smit pleaded guilty to the murder and kidnapping charges last week. However, he denied that his actions were premeditated, claiming he acted in anger after witnessing Jerobejin allegedly stealing fruit from his property.
The indictment outlined a series of grave charges. Under count one, Smit was accused of attempting to kill Jerobejin by driving into him. Count two detailed the deprivation of Jerobejin’s freedom through threat and detention, while count three alleged intentional murder through assault. Count four charged Smit with desecrating Jerobejin’s body, and count five alleged obstruction of justice by misleading police regarding the boy’s disappearance.
Sentencing proceedings are set to begin on Tuesday. The court will hear arguments for mitigation, before deciding on Smit’s punishment for the crime.
