A ninth witness for the state has taken the stand in the Joshlin Smith kidnapping trial, currently being heard in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Saldanha.
Kelly Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and co-accused Steveno van Rhyn, faces charges of kidnapping and human trafficking following the disappearance of seven-year-old Joshlin from her Middlepos home in Saldanha a year ago.
The latest witness, Kelly Zeegers, was Smith’s former employer. She testified that Smith had worked as a domestic worker for both her and her mother, who also gave testimony earlier this week. Both witnesses stated that they were aware of Smith’s drug addiction and had tried to support her by providing employment.
Zeegers recounted a conversation she had with Smith after Joshlin went missing. “She mentioned something about foreigners, which I didn’t take much note of, but she insisted we must go to Marikana. She believed her child hadn’t left the area yet,” Zeegers told the court.
The trial continues as more witnesses take the stand to shed light on the circumstances surrounding Joshlin’s disappearance.