Captain Wesley Lombaard started his pivotal testimony at the Western Cape High Court into the disappearance of Joshlin Smith.
The member of the Western Cape Organised Crime Unit’s Anti-Kidnapping Investigation Team said he interviewed co-accused Kelly Smith, mother of the green-eyed meisie, and her berk Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, who are on trial along with chommie Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn.
Taking the stand as the last witness of the day on Wednesday, Lombaard stated that he interviewed Kelly and her boyfriend a week after Joshlin went missing.
Lombaard told them he would speak to them individually and started with Boeta.
The officer told the court: “Just before we entered the office, Kelly said she was going outside to smoke. I closed the door and began speaking with Boeta. Initially, the conversation was superficial - we discussed his background and relationship with Kelly.”
Boeta then spoke about Sunday, the day before Joshlin went missing.
He explained: “He said that his friends Steveno, Renz... visited his house, and they usually used drugs together.”
Noting that Boeta downplayed his answers, he added: “I could see he didn’t want to share details about an argument he had with Kelly on Sunday night. He became uncomfortable.
“I asked him about his relationship with Joshlin. He struggled to answer. I pointed out that since he was living with Kelly and the kids, he must have been a father figure to them.”
Boeta still failed to give a clear response. “I told him that if anything had happened to Joshlin—if there had been an accident—he could tell me. I reassured him that if he wanted to talk, he was free to do so.”
The trail continues.