The evangelist who claimed that missing Joshlin Smith’s mother planned to sell her children has returned to the stand.
Saldanha Bay resident Nico Steven Coetzee testified on Wednesday that Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith had told him during a conversation that there were people interested in buying her children.
He stated that in August 2023, Kelly was expecting these individuals and was willing to lower the price from R20,000 to R5,000.
A few months later, on 19 February 2024, Joshlin went missing at the age of six. She had not attended school that day, reportedly due to illness, and her mother claimed her uniform was dirty.
Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and their friend Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn were arrested weeks later on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.
The trial is being heard in the Western Cape High Court, sitting at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Diazville.
Coetzee told the court he had no reason to falsely implicate any of the accused by testifying for the state.
Kelly’s lawyer, Rinesh Sivnarain, has begun cross-examining the witness, questioning the accuracy of his timeline and the extent of his acquaintance with Kelly.
“On Wednesday, you testified that you saw my client in 2016 and then again in 2023. On Thursday morning, you said you met her in between,” Sivnarain stated.
Coetzee responded that he had occasionally seen Kelly in the streets while walking and that they would pass each other.
“We used to call each other homies,” he said.
Sivnarain countered that his client would testify that no such conversation about selling her children ever took place.
The witness said he only realised that the missing child in Middelpos was Joshlin on 3 March during a prayer service and then confided in his wife about what Kelly had told him months earlier.
“I told her this because she is my wife, and we don’t keep secrets from each other,” he said.
He explained that he had not spoken to anyone earlier because he feared being criminally charged for ‘spreading rumours’.
Judge Nathan Erasmus questioned why he had not reported the matter to the police sooner.
“I went to the police, and they said they didn’t want written evidence. I had to be in a position to point out where the child was so they could immediately go and fetch her.
“I went on the Wednesday after Joshlin’s prayer service on 6 March 2024.”
The court was informed that his statement was only officially recorded in September 2024.
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