A hut in Midelpos, Saldanha Bay. Joshlyn lived with her mother, Kelly, and her 3-year-old sister. (David Harrison/MG)
The case against the three remaining defendants in the disappearance of seven-year-old Joshlyn Smith is set to be transferred to the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial hearing on January 31, 2025.
“The matter has been transferred to the High Court under Section 75 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” state prosecutor Aradhana Heeramun said in a court appearance on Monday.
The state also said it had chosen to drop the charges against defendant No. 4, Laurencia Lombard, without specifying the reason.
Mr Lombard is understood to be a state witness in the matter.
Lombard, Joshlyn's mother, Kelly Smith, and her girlfriends, Jacken “Boeta” Apolis and Stevano Van Ryn, were charged Monday with criminal trafficking and kidnapping in connection with Joshlyn's disappearance. He appeared before the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court. Charges against Mr. Lombard were dropped.
The judge ruled that the defendant would be remanded in custody until then.
Joshlyn disappeared from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay on February 19th. At the time of her daughter's disappearance, Smith told police that she had returned home after a day out and couldn't find her daughter.
The suspect was arrested on March 5 after community members raised suspicions against Smith and his accomplices. At the time of his arrest, Smith told police that he had left Joshlyn with Apolis.
In March, state prosecutor Jacques van Wyk said Lombard had confessed, although he did not say what he confessed to. Lombard was said to be the last person to see the child before she disappeared.
Charges against traditional healer Phumza Sigaka, who was implicated in Joshlyn's disappearance, were dropped due to lack of evidence.
In September, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazarira told reporters outside court that new evidence had come to light, but the matter would only be heard by the High Court once the investigation was completed. he said.
