Former accused turned state witness, Laurentia Lombaard will enter her third day in the witness box in the Joshlin Smith disappearance trial in Saldanha, Western Cape on Monday morning.
Joshlin disappeared on February 19, 2024.
Lombaard has been on the stand since Thursday and her testimony has sent shockwaves through the court and the broader community.
Jacquen 'Boeta' Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn and Joshlin’s mother Kelly Smith are on trial in Saldanha and face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.
The trio have pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
In her evidence-in-chief, Lombaard explained to the court that Kelly has a violent streak and how one day she had hit out the window of the shack and threatened Boeta with a knife.
She also gave evidence of excessive drug use - mandrax and methamphetamine (tik).
Lombaard testified how Kelly received a call and spoke English during it, thereafter she told Boeta how someone ‘wanted Joshlin’, but he was not willing to listen at the time.
The court further heard how on Sunday, February 18, 2024, Kelly took Joshlin and went to the roadway and met with a woman who alighted from a white VW Polo, this woman, she assumed to be a sangoma who had white spots in her face and was dressed in a green blouse, skirt and doek (headscarf).
Lombaard also stated as she watched the scenario play out from behind the boulders in Middelpos, Kelly was handed something by the woman that she stuck into the front of her pants.
Lombaard told the court she later overheard a conversation between Kelly and Boeta as she stood behind the shack they lived in.
Kelly told Boeta the ‘sangoma’ had given her R20,000. She later confirmed to Lombaard that she sold Joshlin for R20,000 because she was struggling and needed the money.
Lombaard also testified Kelly had promised to pay her R1,000 and Steveno R1,200, the rest of the money will be spent between her and Boeta.
However, Lombaard claimed she never received the money. She even went into detail about how they planned as to how Joshlin would ‘disappear’, and she told the court how she saw Joshlin loaded into the same vehicle with the same woman on February 19, 2024.