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Joshlin Smith disappearance: Latest accused 'confessed', State says, but no details provided

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  • The latest person arrested in connection with Joshlin Smith's disappearance has appeared in court.
  • The prosecutor said she confessed but did not say to what she had confessed.
  • She will appear in court again next week for bail information.

Thirty-two-year-old Lourencia "Renz" Lombaard briefly appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking in connection with the disappearance of 6-year-old Joshlin Smith.

The tiny woman seemed overwhelmed when she stood in the dock and went through the motions of stating her preferred language for the proceedings - Afrikaans.

Her name circulated among people standing outside the court before her appearance in the dock. 

"She was in the first group of people searching for Joshlin," said local resident Diego Dietdricks.

She is understood to have been one of the last people who last saw Smith alive on 19 February. 

READ | Joshlin Smith kidnapping: 5th person 'made a confession', says prosecutor

Although prosecutor Jacques van Wyk said Lombaard confessed, there was no further insight into what she had confessed.

Lombaard had a brief exchange with a Legal Aid lawyer who took her details, and the case was postponed to 25 March for a bail information.

The latest accused, Lourencia Lombaard appeared in
The latest accused, Lourencia Lombaard appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on Monday. (Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
Lombaard was whisked away by police. (Chelsea Ogil
Lombaard was whisked away by police. (Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)

Once the magistrate left, photographers and videographers circled around Lombaard as they tried to capture pictures and footage of the woman who may hold the key to solving Smith's disappearance.

She was led away, followed by the lawyer, and was later taken from the court precinct in an armoured vehicle as people shouted at her. 

One screamed at her:

You must die.

Outside the court there was a heated discussion among some local residents. 

"What confession?" asked one as people speculated over what she had told the police. 

The court and the road outside were not as frenetic as they were last week when there was shouting and police stun grenades were fired.

The other three people in custody are Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith; Smith's partner, Jacquen "Boeta" Appolis; and Steveno van Rhyn.

The question still remains: Where is Joshlin? 

According to Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk: "She is still missing."


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