By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Laurentia Lombaard, the 4th accused, who turned state witness began her testimony in the Joshlin Smith Kidnapping trial in the high court in Saldanha.
The child’s mother Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Apollis and Steveno van Rhyn are facing charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.
This after seven-year-old Joshlin went missing a year ago.
Joshlin had not attended school, with Kelly claiming her daughter was unwell and that her school uniform was dirty.
She stated that she had left Joshlin in the care of her boyfriend, on the day the child went missing.
Originally from Wolseley in the Western Cape, Lombaard is a mother of four. Two of her children live in Worcester, while the other two—aged two and three—reside with their father, Ayanda Litoli, in the Eastern Cape.
Lombaard told the court that she moved to Saldanha Bay from Worcester in 2017 before moving in with her boyfriend in Middelpos.
She said she met Smith and Appollis after she started using drugs and would often visit the couple at their shack, where they would use drugs together.
Lombaard told the court that the day before Joshlin disappeared, she was on her way to Kelly when she noticed a white bakkie parked near the shack.
State prosecutor Advocate Zelda Swanepoel asked Lombaard what had happened the day before Joshlin went missing.
Lombaard said on the morning of Sunday 18 February she went to Kelly’s house after she had made food for her children and Ayanda.
“I walked around the rocks near Kelly’s place and on the other side of the canal I saw a detective bakkie parked.”
Before she could continue her testimony, Judge Nathan Erasmus adjourned the matter to Friday for the State to prepare new questions for Lombaard.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila stated on Thursday, “We just started with a testimony, and she will continue on Friday morning.
“The matter was postponed for both teams to be able to consult, because when we started with this witness, the defence protested. They didn’t want the witness to be called in on Thursday because they were protesting that they were not told in time whether she is going to be called on the day.”