The State’s main witness in the Joshlin Smith case is a free woman after the Western Cape High Court granted her indemnity from prosecution.

Lourentia Lombaard was granted full immunity on Wednesday.

Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled her testimony was decisive in convicting the three accused, all sentenced to life for human trafficking plus 10 years for kidnapping.

Erasmus praised her honesty and noted her personal sacrifices. Lombaard, once an accused herself, told the court she witnessed the sale of Joshlin for money. A sangoma reportedly took the child, paying the accused R20,000.

Although she took 7 months to come forward as a witness, Erasmus held the view that she did not participate in the offence of kidnapping and trafficking. The Judge also said there would be people who would not agree with his decision to set Lombaard free.

The three people convicted for the crime, Jaquen Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn and Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, were denied leave to appeal their convictions and sentences during the same hearing.

Erasmus says he could see no reasonable prospect of them succeeding in an appeal in a different court. He rejected the arguments made by the trio’s lawyers, the hearing being marked by frequent disagreements between Erasmus and Steveno van Rhyn’s attorney, Nobahle Mkabayi.

Mkabayi accused Erasmus of interfering with her ability to defend her client, even accusing him of colluding with the probation officer in the compilation of a report. But Erasmus was having none of it, and challenged her on every remark, pointing out that it had no merit.

Meanwhile, there is still no trace of the little girl who has been missing since February 2024. In late July, police officers descended on the Middelpos informal settlement, following up on new information about Joshlin’s whereabouts.

It has since gone quiet, and no new information has been made available.