The Western Cape High Court heard that it was Steveno van Rhyn who first mentioned the woman allegedly involved in the sale of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
This was shared in the evidence-in-chief of detective Sergeant Dawid Johannes Fortuin, who led the interviews on 4 March 2024.
The officer said he sat down with Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis and Van Rhyn on that evening when Van Rhyn revealed that a woman named Maka Lima (Lima’s mom) knew what happened to Joshlin.
He said that he confirmed with Appollis, and he told him the same thing.
Central to the trial is a "trial within a trial", currently sitting at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Diazville, Saldanha Bay, focused on the admissibility of confessions made by the accused, Appollis and Van Rhyn.
The two men allege their confessions were obtained under duress, including physical assault at the hands of the police.
Racquel “Kelly” Smith, Joshlin's mother and the third accused, has not made similar claims and is therefore not part of this phase of the trial.
Fortuin described how he was involved in the search for Joshlin and in interviewing the accused. He noted inconsistencies in the timelines and statements provided by the accused, particularly regarding their whereabouts on 19 February 2024, the day Joshlin disappeared.
Fortuin said both Appollis and Van Rhyn denied knowledge of Joshlin's disappearance during initial interviews.
Later, Fortuin testified about a woman known as Maka Lima, who was mentioned by the accused as someone who might know more about Joshlin’s disappearance.
Fortuin told the court: “Van Rhyn said we should ask Kelly and Maka Lima about the disappearance of Joshlin.”
When Fortuin confronted Appollis with her name, he appeared visibly worried.
Both allegedly told police to ask Kelly and Maka Lima about the missing girl. Police then brought Maka Lima and her family to the Sea Border offices for questioning.
Both men were then detained.
During the proceedings, presiding officer Judge Nathan Erasmus asked the defence and the State to decide on which date the trial will move back to Cape Town.
He said it would either be next week or after the Easter Holiday.
