LOURENTIA “Renz” Lombaard says she was high when she made her initial statement to police.
The former accused-turned-State-witness in the ongoing trial of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith came under heavy scrutiny yesterday during cross-examination.
Lombaard was questioned about her drug use before and during the events leading to Joshlin’s disappearance.
She admitted to being under the influence of drugs before her arrest and acknowledged that this could have impacted her initial statements to the police.
The state witness was arrested alongside Joshlin’s mother Racquel "Kelly" Smith, Jacquen "Boeta" Appollis, and Steveno "Steffie" van Rhyn.
They all face kidnapping and human trafficking.
During the cross-examination by Van Rhyn’s lawyer Nobahle Mkabayi, she explained that she had used tik and Mandrax on the day she was arrested
She explained: “If I smoke in the morning and then in the afternoon, the drugs will be in my system for two weeks.
“When you smoke tik you feel high, and when you smoke mandrax you also get high and everything is in slow motion.”
Lombaard said she is no longer on drugs.
Mkabayi asked where her children were when she used drugs and Lombaard said they would be present.
She also told the court that she started doing drugs at the age of 16.
Mkabayi asked if Lombaard would describe herself as a drug addict.
She replied: “I wouldn’t say I am not an addict, but a drug user.”
This line of questioning came following her grilling by Boeta’s lawyer Fanie Harmse.
Harmse read out a statement from Joshlin’s brother, claiming that Lombard was not at Kelly’s home on the morning of the meisie's disappearance, despite saying that she was there to hear Kelly’s alleged plot to sell the six-year-old for R20 000.
The court heard that Kelly’s son might be called in to testify at a later stage.
Visibly annoyed, Judge Nathan Erasmus told Harmse he didn’t want to be a meme or trend on TikTok.
