The evidence-in-chief continues on Tuesday morning with Steveno van Rhyn, who alleged he was kidnapped, assaulted, and tortured by men he believed to be police officers during the investigation into the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
Joshlin went missing from her home in Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, on 19 February 2024.
Her disappearance led to the arrest of her mother, Racquel "Kelly" Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen "Boeta" Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn. All three pleaded not guilty.
The current proceedings form part of a trial-within-a-trial in the Western Cape High Court to determine whether confessions made by the accused were obtained lawfully and voluntarily.
On the stand, Van Rhyn recounted in chilling detail how he was picked up on 4 March 2024 while hitchhiking with his cousin’s boyfriend, couple.
He testified that he was separated from the boyfriend and taken by unknown men to Jacobsbaai. There, he claims he was handcuffed, forced to lie on his stomach, beaten, and had a firearm shoved into his mouth.
He also alleged that his testicles were pinched during the assault, causing lasting physical damage.
“It felt a bit funny because I thought I was just getting a lift,” Van Rhyn said, adding that he feared for his life when the men threatened to make him dig his own grave or throw him into the ocean.
The accused said he was later taken, still handcuffed, to the Sea Border police offices in Saldanha Bay, where he was assaulted again.
He described being hit multiple times in a boardroom while being questioned about Joshlin’s whereabouts.
He stated he had no injuries before being abducted and had been walking normally when hitchhiking.
The trial continues on Tuesday morning, when Van Rhyn will resume his testimony under evidence-in-chief.