Section 204 witness Lourentia Lombaard has been granted full immunity from prosecution. This happened after the Western Cape High Court heard submissions on her role in the high-profile Joshlin Smith matter. The ruling means Lombaard will not face charges for actions she once denied, after giving evidence that helped secure convictions against three co-accused.
Judge says her testimony was decisive in convicting three accusedThe hearing took place at the Saldanha Bay sitting of the Western Cape High Court, where Judge Nathan Erasmus noted the personal sacrifices Lombaard made and commended her honesty during testimony. The judge said her evidence was critical to the State's case and that, despite her difficult circumstances, she had owned up to her mistakes EWN .
Lombaard, who once sat in the dock alongside the accused, told the court she had witnessed the sale of six-year-old Joshlin for money. Her testimony formed a central plank of the prosecution that led to life sentences for Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn for human trafficking, plus 10-year terms for kidnapping.