Court hears that all the accused agreed to keep quiet about Kelly Smith selling Joshlin to a sangoma
Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn are charged with kidnapping and human trafficking for Joshlin's disappearance.
Former accused in the Joshlin Smith trial, Lourentia Lombaard, testified at the Western Cape High Court, sitting in the Multi-Purpose Centre on 14 March 2025. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/EWN
CAPE TOWN - A former accused in the Joshlin Smith trial has testified about how all of the accused agreed to keep quiet about Smith selling Joshlin to a sangoma.
Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn are charged with kidnapping and human trafficking for Joshlin's disappearance.
The accused are on trial in the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre.
READ: Kelly Smith allegedly sold Joshlin to sangoma for R20,000, court hears
Former accused, Lourentia Lombaard, said that on the 18th of February, she witnessed Smith take Joshlin to a white car, where they met an unknown woman who gave Smith a small package.
Lombaard told the court that when she spoke to Smith later that day, she confessed that she sold Joshlin to a sangoma.
She said that Smith offered her and co-accused Stevano van Rhyn R1,000 to keep quiet.
Lombaard told the court that Smith had told them that the rest of the money would be split between herself and Jacquen Appollis.
Lombaard said that on the day Joshlin went missing, Smith took Joshlin to meet the same woman and later returned to report the child missing.
Lombaard is set to continue her testimony on Monday.