SALDANHA:- In today’s proceedings at the Saldanha High Court, a former co-accused turned state witness, Lourentia Lombaard, delivered compelling testimony against Kelly Smith.
Lombaard testified that Smith confessed to selling her daughter, Joshlin, to a sangoma (traditional healer) for R20,000. She recounted observing Smith meeting with a woman dressed as a sangoma the day before Joshlin’s disappearance, during which Smith received a small parcel. Lombaard further claimed that Smith offered her R1,000 to keep silent about the transaction, an offer she accepted but never received the money.
This testimony adds to the mounting evidence against Smith, who, alongside her partner Jacquin Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn, faces charges of kidnapping and human trafficking related to Joshlin’s disappearance over a year ago. The trial has elicited strong emotions within the community, with residents expressing anger and demanding Joshlin’s return.
The court has also heard from other witnesses, including Edna Maart, Joshlin’s Grade One teacher, who testified that Smith claimed to have received a phone call from a Nigerian man warning that Joshlin was on her way to West Africa. Additionally, Saldanha police station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln Sebola, testified that Smith refused police accommodation because her boyfriend, Appollis, could not be accommodated with her, and noted that Smith appeared unusually calm despite her daughter’s disappearance.
As the trial continues, the community remains on edge, seeking justice for Joshlin and answers regarding her whereabouts.
