'When did you finally tell the truth?' Lourentia Lombaard grilled in Joshlin Smith trial

The lawyer representing Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, the mother of missing Joshlin Smith, continued the cross-examination of Lourentia Lombaard, emphasizing that she had multiple opportunities to go to the police but failed to do so.

Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and their friend Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn are facing kidnapping and human trafficking charges. They were arrested weeks after Joshlin disappeared from her Middelpos home in Saldanha Bay on 19 February 2024.

Lombaard, a former accused turned state witness, claimed that Kelly told her she sold Joshlin to a sangoma for R20,000 and had promised her R1,000 to stay quiet.

During questioning, Kelly’s lawyer, Rinesh Sivnarain, asked if she had been using drugs on 18 February and with whom.

Lombaard admitted to smoking tik with a friend whose name she could not recall. She later received money from her boyfriend, Ayanda Litoni, and used it to buy more tik, which she smoked alone.

The next day, she smoked mandrax with Boeta and later smoked tik again after Steveno arrived.

Sivnarain then challenged her credibility, pointing out inconsistencies in her statements and questioning why she did not go to the police earlier.

“You had more than three opportunities to come clean and tell the truth,” he said. “When did you finally tell the truth?”

Lombaard replied that she only spoke up when the investigating officer, Wesley Lombard, visited her in custody in October 2024.

Judge Nathan Erasmus noted that she had previous opportunities to report what she knew, including when she overheard Kelly discussing the plan, the morning Kelly said she would return to take Joshlin away, and the evening of Joshlin’s disappearance when police visited her home.

Sivnarain asked if she had ever considered telling the police the truth earlier.

“I told Kelly to tell the police what she did with her child. I was angry at her,” Lombaard responded.

She maintained that fear kept her from speaking out earlier and admitted she remained silent because Kelly had promised her R1,000.

The cross-examination continues.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za