Joslin Smith Trial: Defence Lawyer Claims Police Provided Steveno Van Rhyn With False Confession

• Steveno van Rhyn claimed that he was tortured by police into making a false confession
• Van Rhyn, one of the accused in the Joslin Smith trial, stated that police told him what to say
• Detective Dawid Johannes Fortuin denied the claims and questioned why van Rhyn didn't tell him

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism

WESTERN CAPE – Police who handled investigations into the disappearance of Joslin Smith have been accused of feeding a false confession to one of the accused.

Advocate Nobahle Mkabayi, the defence lawyer for Steveno van Rhyn, has claimed that her client was first assaulted by police and later forced to confess.

Mkabayi also stated that her client instructed her that the police provided him with the confession. The details revealed in court all form part of the trial-within-a-trial phase of the case, where Judge Nathan Erasmus will decide whether the “confessions” made by Appollis and van Rhyn can be admitted as evidence.

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Van Rhyn claims police assaulted him to confess

During the cross-examination of Detective Dawid Johannes Fortuin on 9 April, Mkabayi put to him that police gave van Rhyn a false confession to implicate his co-accused.

According to van Rhyn, police told him to say that Kelly Smith told Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis to take Joslin to a woman by the name of Makalima. Makailma, allegedly related to Ayanda Letoni (Lourencia Lombaard’s boyfriend), reportedly paid Kelly for Joslin.

Van Rhyn also claimed through his lawyer that he was tortured into making that confession. He also stated that Makalima was assaulted when she was questioned by police at the Sea Border office in Saldanha Bay.

He further alleged that police told Makalima to lie and say that he and Boeta brought the child to her.

Police deny claims they assaulted accused

During his response, Fortuin denied the allegations that the accused were tortured and coerced into making the statements.

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He also questioned why the accused never told him what the police said.

“If this was prescribed, then he should have told me. Therefore, it is possible that was said (to him), but that is very unlikely,” Fortuin noted.

Mkabayi argued that the trust was broken, and so her client would not tell Fortuin about the assault when he had already lost faith in him.

What you need to know about the Joslin Smith trial

• Kelly admitted that she was high on drugs on the day Joslin disappeared
• Kelly's sister claims she was told that Joslin was still in Saldanha Bay a week after her disappearance
• State witness Lourentia Lombaard said Kelly confessed that she sold her daughter to a sangoma for R20,000
• Lombaard testified that she and her boyfriend were tortured for three weeks at a house in Langebaan
• Gayton McKenzie claims Saldanha Bay mayor was involved in Joslin’s disappearance

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Joslin trial to move to Cape Town

Briefly News reported that the trial into the disappearance of Joslin Smith will be moved to the Western Cape High Court.

The trial will be moved due to Judge Nathan Erasmus’ work commitments in Cape Town once the new court terms starts on 15 April 2025.

The case has been held in Saldanha Bay to allow for affected community members to witness the proceedings.

Source: Briefly News