A 26-year-old man on parole, Willem Koper, is accused of fatally stabbing a nine-year-old boy at Louisevale Dorp near Upington. The State says it will oppose bail if he applies when the case returns to court on 29 October.
Koper appeared in the Upington District Court on Friday 23 October and remains in police custody. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What the State alleges
The State alleges the boy was killed in the early hours of Sunday 18 October while sleeping in a room at the home. It alleges Koper stabbed him after an argument the previous evening with a relative of the boy, who left and did not return that night. Emergency services declared the child dead on arrival.
Police investigations are continuing. The reports we reviewed carry no further police comment. The boy has not been named in those reports and Insight Factor is not naming him.
The State's bail position
State prosecutor Elouise du Plessis indicated the State will vehemently oppose bail, citing the seriousness of the offence, public safety and Koper's history of violent crime, according to the report of the hearing.
The report says Koper was granted parole on 20 August 2025, with the parole period due to expire in July 2029. It lists earlier convictions: murder on 2 July 2021 (eight years' imprisonment), and statutory rape and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm on 7 July 2021 (five years).
Senior Public Prosecutor Christopher Bouman said the National Prosecuting Authority "regards violence against children in an extremely serious light" and will pursue the matter vigorously.
