[imagesource: News24 / Marvin Charles]

56-year-old Daniel Smit (above), arrested in connection with the disappearance of 13-year-old Jerobiojin van Wyk, has made some wild claims.

According to his lawyer, Santie Human, Smit claims that he became involved “in the occult” when he was 13 years old and confessed to killing four people in Sea Point, Cape Town as part of an “occult group”.

Police found human remains, including an ear, intestines, and a kidney, hidden in sewage pipes on Smit’s property. It has yet to be confirmed that they are van Wyk’s remains.

Pastor Damaris Kiewit, who is counselling van Wyk’s family, said that the teenager was run over by Smit’s vehicle.

The occult claims came to the attention of the South African Satanic Church, which issued a strongly worded response via social media.

Here’s some of the statement via Facebook, which stressed that “there are no cults in Satanism and to belong to a cult is not Satanic” and rubbished Human’s claims that February 2 is a religious day for occult practitioners.

Van Wyk went missing on February 2:

“Satanism is a religion that focuses on celebrating life and making the most of your time here on earth in a healthy and responsible way. To kill is not in alignment with Satanism as this is not respectful of life. Page 89 of the Satanic Bible written by Anton LaVey and the only text that has codified modern day Satanism, states that no Satanist shall kill an animal or child…

Anyone who claims they are practicing the occult and Satanism and therefore need to kill a human or animal are definitely not practicing the occult and Satanism. To practice the occult and Satanism is to heal and enrich yourself as a human in a healthy way so that you can make the most of your life here on earth.”

The statement, from Rev Riaan Swiegelaar and Adri Norton, said that “in Satanism, we believe that everyone is responsible for their own actions and should suffer the consequences of their actions”.

It finished with the standard “Hail Satan”. No doubt that will get all the haters’ knickers in a twist.

Speaking last week, Human said that her client had not been practising occult “doings” until a “relapse” on February 2.

Legal eagles reckon these claims may actually be a way for the defence to muddy the waters. Here’s IOL:

A legal source close to the case explained to the Weekend Argus that this could be a ploy that could jeopardise the case. “No formal confession was made. For a confession to stand in court, it has to be made in front of a magistrate or a commissioned officer.

“Secondly, when he appeared in court and his rights were read out to him, he didn’t plead, he decided to remain silent.

“Thirdly, there’s the rule of privilege between a client and his or her lawyer. This means that things that are said to the lawyer are said in confidence,” the source said.

Smit could thus say, at a later stage, that he feels he is being treated unfairly due to statements his lawyer made publicly.

Advocate Gilbert Jose also questioned Human’s approach:

“By law you are not even supposed to do it, you are supposed to keep your client’s information close to your chest because at the end of the day your client can turn around and say he didn’t say anything like that, and that will impact his position as to a fair trial.

“There could be the possibility of an acquittal,” Jose said.

Human has stressed that her client intends to plead guilty and wanted people to know “that it’s not racism and also wants to clear his conscience”.

During his court appearance last week, Smit abandoned his bid to be released on bail and will remain in custody.

The case has been postponed until April 26, 2022, for further investigation.

[source:sasatanicchurch&iol]