The mother of 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk from Klawer read out a heart-breaking letter to the court on the death of her son.

Triesa van Wyk addressed her son’s murderer, Daniel Smit in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Vredendal.

Smit, 58, was convicted on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, premeditated murder, violating a corpse, and defeating the ends of justice.

In her letter, Van Wyk said she was publicly opening up about her pain so the court knows a mother’s pain after her child was taken away from her in a cruel and brutal manner.

She described the day of the incident as any other day and described her coming home only to find out her child is missing. After a sleepless night, the news broke about what happened to her son.

“My heart was broken into 100 pieces. Suddenly, life did not make sense to me. Not even my surviving daughter who was there could soothe my pain,” she read.

Addressing Smit, Van Wyk reminded him she was there the day before.

“I asked you where my child was. I cannot fathom how, in your capacity as a parent yourself, you could bring yourself to murder another parent’s child so brutally and even dismember them. He was not an animal. My heart aches because I will never, ever understand what went through your mind. Through it all, I kept hoping it wasn’t true, that he would come bursting through the door as always.

“The crowds, the media … they shattered what little hope I had because my life is irrevocably changed. Nothing makes sense anymore … the first of many sleepless nights was about to begin. I found myself looking, hoping he would be in his usual place. I served his food, only to be jolted back to reality. My child is dead,” Van Wyk said.

She stated her child’s life on earth was ended, not by God, but by the hand of a person and explained she struggles to accept that Smit could be a civilised human being because what parent murders another parent’s defenceless child.

“On the day we were taken to the morgue, I expected at least to see a body … only to be met by a small plastic bag with incomplete body parts. I still want to know: ‘What were my child’s last words? Did he call out my name? Was he already dead when you carved him up?" My heart is in shreds. You truly hurt my child terribly,” she said.

The entirely family has been affected by Jerobejin’s brutal death. Van Wyk explained her daughter has since dropped out of school and started living a reckless life, her own mother’s health deteriorated rapidly and she has since passed away.

“I still have sleepless nights. When I close my eyes, I hear my child calling out to me, and I see in my mind’s eye how my child was cut into pieces. Tomorrow seems impossible. It feels as if I failed my child.

“To think that I gave birth to a whole body and got pieces back. I cannot express myself fully to give the court an idea of what truly goes on in my heart. I pray that God quiets the feelings I have toward the suspect. I don’t even know if time will heal this. I feel compelled to plead with the court to keep this type of monster out of the community completely. I say again, I will never, ever, ever, forgive him,” she said.

Jerobejin was murdered, butchered, and some of his body parts discarded in a septic tank for allegedly stealing mangoes on February 2, 2022. It was also revealed the teenager was chased by Smit’s bakkie and knocked over before being ‘apprehended’.

Smit had maintained the murder was not premeditated, and earlier this month, the State rejected his plea in the matter.

Earlier during this matter, Smit was admitted for psychiatric evaluation to assess whether the alleged cultist was able to follow court proceedings.

In September 2023, Smit was declared fit to stand trial.

On the day of the incident, Jerobejin and a friend went to pick mangoes in the upscale area of the town, but never returned home.

The family got news that he was knocked over by a motorist who then picked him up and left with him. It is alleged the man saw the children ’stealing’ the mangoes from someone’s tree.

Two days later, remains believed to be that of the boy were found in the drain at Smit’s Matzikama Street home.

DNA later confirmed it to be that of Jerobejin.

Sentencing proceedings are under way.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

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