Saldanha Bay community not shocked over Lombard’s link to Joslin’s disappearance

Community members in Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape, say they are not surprised by the alleged involvement of Laurentia Lombaard in the disappearance of Joslin Smith.

The 32-year-old woman appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court today on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.

Lombaard joins three other accused including Joslin’s mother and her boyfriend.

A resident, Diego Diedricks, says Lombard’s response to Joslin’s disappearance was suspicious.

“We went to her house the one time cause we got a tip-off that she was involved and some of us confronted her, you could see by her body language that something was off.

“The initial story was that she and Kelly (mother) were smoking at Kelly’s house. She then sent Joslin to her house to check if one of the children was still sleeping and she followed Joslin and she didn’t return.”

Diedricks says they remain hopeful that justice will prevail for the six-year-old Joslin.

The little girl is still missing after she was last seen at an informal settlement in Saldanha Bay last month.

The state says Lombaard confessed to her involvement in the child’s disappearance. It, however, didn’t provide further details.

She will be back in court next Monday for bail application, while her three other accused are scheduled to return in May.