The eleventh day of the Joshlin Smith trial brought further revelations as Lourentia Lombaard completed her testimony, making a direct plea to anyone who may still have the missing six-year-old.
Joshlin Smith trial today: Here’s a breakdown of what happened
Meanwhile, Kelly Smith’s sister, Mickeyla Daniels, took the stand, delivering a shocking claim about Joshlin’s whereabouts.
A final witness, whose identity is protected, recounted an altercation between Kelly and Jacquen Appollis on the eve of Joshlin’s disappearance.
Lourentia Lombaard ends testimony with emotional Plea
Lombaard, who previously testified that she overheard Kelly Smith discussing a plan to sell Joshlin to a sangoma for R20,000, wrapped up her testimony by addressing inconsistencies in her earlier statements.
The court heard that in a non-sworn statement given to police on 15 March 2024, she initially misrepresented certain facts—an issue the defence is expected to seize upon during cross-examination.
She clarified that while she originally stated she saw Kelly exiting a white Polo and walking to work after handing Joshlin over, she never actually witnessed Kelly leaving the vehicle.
Instead, she only saw Kelly and Joshlin getting inside before the car drove off.
Lombaard also revealed that the person who allegedly wanted Joshlin was particularly interested in the child’s eyes and skin, according to what Kelly had told her.
Overcome with emotion, she admitted her role in the unfolding events, expressing remorse as a mother of four. Before stepping down, she made a desperate plea:
“If Joshlin is still alive, whoever has her, please return her.”
Mickeyla Daniels’ testimony raises disturbing questions
Taking the stand after Lombaard, Kelly Smith’s biological sister, Mickeyla Daniels, testified about her estranged relationship with Kelly and a chilling claim Kelly made during a phone call after Joshlin’s disappearance.
Daniels explained that she and Kelly did not grow up together. While Kelly was raised by their grandmother in Saldanha Bay, Daniels and their other siblings lived in the Northern Cape.
The sisters had limited contact over the years, partly because Kelly frequently changed phone numbers, making it difficult to maintain communication.
Daniels first learned about Joshlin’s disappearance on 20 February 2024, when their mother sent her a voice note saying Kelly had called in distress.
Concerned, Daniels repeatedly reached out to Kelly on Facebook, but her messages were ignored.
When Kelly finally responded on 26 February 2024, her reply was startling. Daniels asked her, “Where is Joshlin?” Kelly’s response:
“My child is here in the informal settlement. Someone wants to sell my child, but Saldanha is a hotspot.”
Daniels tried to probe further, asking about Kelly’s whereabouts on the day Joshlin disappeared and whether there were any suspects. Instead of answering, Kelly deflected, insisting that the police had already asked her those questions.
She abruptly ended the call after giving a vague explanation that Joshlin had stayed home because her school uniform was dirty and she had no washing powder.
Daniels told the court that she never got the chance to ask Kelly what she meant by saying someone wanted to sell Joshlin.
The last interaction Daniels had with Kelly came on 3 March 2024, during a video call with TikTok activist Shakeera “Shakes” Ganief. Daniels said that by then, Kelly’s demeanour had completely changed—she was upbeat, even bragging about how politician Gayton McKenzie had bought her and her children new clothes.
Protected witness describes heated argument between Kelly and Jacquen
The final witness of the day, whose identity is protected, recounted an incident she witnessed on Sunday, 18 February 2024—the day before Joshlin disappeared.
The witness testified that she was walking past a rocky passage near a canal in Diazville when she saw Kelly Smith and Jacquen Appollis in a heated argument.
She recalled hearing Kelly yell, “Ek saal jou wys!” (“I will show you!”) before grabbing Joshlin and dragging her toward the shack.
The witness said she initially thought Kelly was taking out her frustration with Jacquen on her daughter. She noticed that Joshlin lost a pink flip-flop in the process, which later stood out to her when reports emerged about a pink flip-flop being found in the case.
She only realised the significance of what she saw when, two days later, a colleague informed her that a child from the area had gone missing. Upon seeing Joshlin’s picture, she immediately recognised her and told her colleague:
“That child is not missing. Kelly [Smith] needs to say what happened to her.”
During cross-examination, Jacquen’s lawyer challenged the witness’s identification of his client, arguing that she could not have been certain it was him since she had never seen him before.
The witness, however, remained firm, stating that she had later recognised him from television appearances related to the trial.
What’s next in the trial?
As the court adjourned, it was confirmed that the case would resume with the cross-examination of the protected witness.
Steveno van Rhyn’s lawyer is set to challenge her testimony, likely focusing on the details of what she saw that Sunday evening.
With tensions rising and key witnesses taking the stand, the trial continues to unfold, bringing new revelations each day.
We did a full breakdown of Trial Week 2, which you can watch below:
