Jacquen Boeta Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn and Racquel Kelly Smith at the Western Cape High Court, sitting in White City Multipurpose Centre in Diazville, Saldanha Bay.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete
Lourentia Lombaard’s history of drug use came under scrutiny in the ongoing trial of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
Lombaard, a former accused turned state witness, was questioned about her drug use before and during the events leading to Joshlin’s disappearance.
Under cross-examination, 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.
She detailed the effects of the use of mandrax, saying that the drugs would remain in her system for about two weeks.
“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.
“I smoked mandrax with the head of a broken beer bottle and didn’t smoke much of marijuana.”
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.
“I wouldn’t say I am not an addict but a drug user.”