Joslin Smith Trial: Lourentia Lombaard Says She and Her Boyfriend Were Tortured for 3 Weeks
- Lourentia Lombaard continued her testimony under cross-examination at the Joslin Smith trial in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape
- She revealed that she, her two young children and her boyfriend were taken to a safe house where they were tortured and beaten for three weeks
- She detailed the ordeal she experienced under the unidentified men and said some of them worked with the South African Police Service
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.
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SALDANHA BAY — The court heard at the Joslin Smith trial on 24 March 2025 how Lourentia Lombaard, her boyfriend and their two children were taken to a safe house after Joslin disappeared and were tortured for weeks.
What happened to Lourentia Lombaard?
Lombaard testified at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape three weeks into Joslin Smith's disappearance trial. The trial commenced one year after Joslin disappeared in February 2024.
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Her mother, Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn have been in custody since last year and face charges of human trafficking and kidnapping. They pleaded not guilty.
Lombaard, who turned state witness in October after the state could not find any evidence to link her to the crime, said she and her family were tortured for three weeks. Responding to cross-examination from attorney Nobahle Mkabayi, who represented van Rhyn.
She said the ordeal happened two weeks before she was arrested. Lombaard and her boyfriend Ayanda Letoni were brought to the police station. They were then taken to a safe house in Langebaan where they were allegedly beaten.
Lombaard suffers ordeal
Lombaard testified that other people who allegedly worked with the South African Police Service came to the house and assaulted her and Letoni. They asked her where Joslin was and she said she did not know.
She was beaten continuously. Lombaard, also known as Renz, said that the men claimed Van Rhyn said she had information about where Joslin went. They threatened to shoot her if she did not tell them where Joslin was.
What did Lombaard reveal during the trial?
Renz revealed since her testimony began on 9 March that Kelly sold her daughter for R20,000. She also revealed that a stranger gave her hush money to keep her from spilling the beans about where Joslin was.
When she faced cross-examination, she cracked and became emotional after she revealed that she was not honest about what happened when she gave the police her statement.
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What you need to know about the trial
- A social worker revealed that Kelly had a violent streak and told her grandmother that she would stab her and her son
- Her former employee lauded her as a parent and said she had a great relationship with her children and she broke down in court
- Van Rhyn revealed that Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie forcefully took him to the police station
- Lombaard revealed that the sangoma who bought Joslin wanted her for her body features including her eyes and her skin
- One of the police officers who responded to the crime scene testified that the suspects were lying about their version of events
Kelly Smith's sister testified
In a related article, Briefly News reported that Kelly's sister Mickeyla Davids testified that Kelly knew where Joslin was a week after her disappearance. She said she was still in Saldanha Bay.
Davids, a police officer stationed in Upington in the Nothern Cape, said she had a telephone call with her sister, who revealed that Joslin was still in the city after she was reported missing.
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Source: Briefly News
