Proceedings on Day 32 of the Joshlin Smith trial resumed with the State formally placing several critical pieces of evidence on the record.
Joshlin Smith trial today: Here’s a breakdown of what happened
Among these was the transcript of Steveno van Rhyn’s confession taken by Captain Phillip Seekoei on 5 March 2024, a document introduced due to the poor audio quality of the original video recording.
The State also confirmed the admission of Kelly Smith’s warning statement recorded on 6 March 2024.
Most notably, the State confirmed that it would no longer be calling Phumza Sigaqa—also known as “Ma Ka Lima”—as a witness. Sergeant Sangozi is expected to testify next to explain this decision, which the prosecution indicated was based on a development that occurred over the weekend.
Captain Wesley Lombard, who returned to the stand, was questioned by Advocate Fannie Harmse about an affidavit from a new witness, Moeketsi Sisa. The statement claims that Joshlin was seen between 19:00 and 20:00 on 19 February 2024 near a shebeen close to Phumza’s house.
Lombard admitted he had not interviewed this witness personally, though others on his team had followed up. He explained that earlier community searches occurred in that area at the same time, but yielded no results. The judge noted that the witness was never on the official state witness list.
During the cross-examination, Lombard was asked to reflect on the involvement of Phumza in light of the confessions given by Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn. Lombard strongly asserted that the story involving Phumza was a cover-up, suggesting it had been fabricated to obscure the truth about Joshlin’s disappearance.
Lombard also testified about a sangoma who had once pointed police to an address possibly linked to Joshlin’s case. He confirmed, however, that the only visit to Phumza’s house occurred on the evening of 4 March 2024 after her name was first mentioned by the accused.
Later, Advocate Nobahle Mkabayi questioned Lombard about inconsistencies in the timeline of police interviews with Steveno. Lombard clarified that Steveno was not interviewed on 22 February 2024 due to his disoriented state but was questioned again on 29 February after inconsistencies emerged between his formal statement and earlier TikTok interviews.
The court also heard from the transcript of Steveno’s confession to Seekoei. In the statement, Steveno repeated his claim that Joshlin was taken to Phumza’s house on the instruction of Kelly Smith.
He described how they left her there, drank water, then went to sell a microwave before returning. He maintained that he only accompanied Jacquen and did not play a leading role. He also described Kelly telling him the next day that a man in a red t-shirt took Joshlin from Phumza.
Kelly’s warning statement placed her movements throughout 19 February in detail, including work shifts, drug purchases, and efforts to locate Joshlin. She confirmed dropping Rochelle at creche, going to work, smoking tik with Jacquen, and looking for Joshlin from around 17:00 into the evening.
Lombard provided further testimony about various efforts to locate Joshlin—ranging from tracking down TikTok content, interviewing informants, consulting sangomas and online researchers, and verifying satellite images.
None of these leads produced results. He confirmed that DNA analysis on all seized items—including a pillowcase, clothes, and a knife—returned negative results, showing no links to Joshlin or her parents.
Here’s what happens next in the trial-within-a-trial
The court is set to resume on Wednesday with Sergeant Sangozi expected to testify on the State’s decision to withdraw Phumza Sigaqa as a witness. This explanation could offer insights into the prosecution’s strategy and the new developments that shifted their course.
Although the confessions of both Steveno van Rhyn and Jacquen Appollis have now been entered into evidence, the final ruling on their admissibility has not yet been made.
