Kelly Smith, the mother of Joslin Smith.
The suspect turned state-witness in the Joslin Smith kidnapping and human trafficking trial has told the Western Cape high court that the child was wanted by a sangoma for her “eyes and skin”.
Lourentia Lombaard — referred to as Rens or Rensie throughout proceedings — started testifying late on Thursday last week, continued on Friday, and also took the stand on Monday.
The then six year old Joslin — who is fair skinned and has blue-green eyes — has been missing since 19 February 2024.
Testifying on Monday about the happenings on Friday 23 February 2024, Lombaard said she was standing at the window of her shack in an informal settlement in the Middelpos area of Saldanha Bay when Kelly Smith — the mother of Joslin and two other young children — “come walking along the dirt road”.
By this stage, efforts to find Joslin were frenetic, with residents and police searching with K9 dog units, drones, a helicopter and additional officers. The child’s disappearance had made national and international headlines.
“I called her, and she said ‘No Rens, don’t call my name so loud, because people are looking for me’,” Lombaard said.
“I went out of my home to her and saw it was Kelly, Boeta [accused number one, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, who is also Smith’s partner] and another man and woman walking with them to Kelly’s house.
“I didn’t know the man and the woman. Kelly was walking in front, with Boeta behind, and the other people after Boeta.”
Lombaard said she followed Smith into her shack, while the strangers remained outside. Smith was looking for school clothes for her remaining two children, and documents, she added.
“She said to me she knew what she did with Joslin. And she mentioned there was someone who paid her to keep quiet. I asked who, and she never told me,” said Lombaard.
“The person who was wanting Joslin wanted her for her eyes and skin,” said Lombaard.
Prompted by the lead state prosecutor, Zelda Swanepoel, Lombaard admitted that she had asked Smith about the money she was promised for keeping quiet, but Smith did not pay her.
Lombaard first gave a witness statement about Joslin’s disappearance on 20 February, the day after the child’s disappearance. That statement was made at Smith’s shack. In March, she gave a “confession statement”, in which she lied.
Asked about the truthfulness of the witness statement made on 20 February, Lombaard said she had only told the police what had happened on the morning of Joslin’s disappearance, and how all of the accused had been using drugs.
“Was that the truth?” asked Swanepoel.
“I didn’t tell them the whole truth because I was scared and nervous of the police. I was stressed [and high].”
The court heard that there was an agreement between all of the accused that they would “not tell police everything”.
Charges were dropped against Lombaard last year when she turned state witness.
Regarding the “confession statement” of March, which was recorded, Lombaard told the court she “didn’t give the [interviewing officer] the whole truth”.
She started making her statement in terms of section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act (state witness) on 11 October 2024, and completed it on 16 October. In this statement, she insisted she was “telling the truth”.
Asked by Swanepoel if what she was testifying about in court on Monday, and what she testified about last week, which was based on that statement, was the full truth, Lombaard responded: “That’s the whole, whole truth. There is nothing I am hiding.
“I just told myself I am going to talk the truth on that day. I decided I would tell the truth and not hide anything.”
She confirmed that she had her legal representative, advocate Eben van Tonder, in attendance at all times when making the section 204 statement.
“So were you happy with the statement that was obtained with you on those days?” asked Swanepoel, to which Lombaard replied “Yes”.
Last week, an evangelist based in Saldanha Bay testified that Smith told him in 2023 that she was going to sell her children for R20 000, “but if [the buyers] didn’t have the full amount, she would settle for R5 000”.
Lombaard told the court last week that the day before Joslin went missing, Smith confessed to selling her to a sangoma for R20 000 because she was struggling financially.
Going over the happenings on the day the child went missing, Lombaard testified that Smith told Appollis to have Joslin ready by 2pm as that was when she was going to be “picked up”.
Lombaard said she later saw Smith walking with Joslin to a white car — the same white car Smith had met the occupants of, the day before. Mother and child got into the car, and that was the last time she saw Joslin, said Lombaard.
Lombaard also told the court last week that Smith had offered her R1 000 in return for her silence, while offering R1 200 to accused number two in the matter, Steveno van Rhyn, for his silence.
The offers of cash for silence were made at the shack of Smith and Appollis, according to Lombaard, where all of the accused were present.
In the first week of the trial, two police officers told the court that the “theory” of Joslin being sold to sangomas had been investigated, and there was no evidence of such taking place.
The state alleges in its indictment that Smith “communicated during August 2023 her plan to have her children be taken away or sold”.
“The plan was for this to happen in January or February 2024.”
Appollis, Van Rhyn and Smith pleaded not guilty when the trial started two weeks ago.
Lombaard’s testimony continues, with cross-examination expected later on Monday.
