Evidence-in-chief continued on Wednesday in the Western Cape High Court as Steveno van Rhyn described in detail the abuse he claims he suffered at the hands of police during the investigation into the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
Joshlin went missing on 19 February 2024 from her home in Middelpos, Saldanha Bay.
Her mother, Racquel "Kelly" Smith, left her in the care of her boyfriend, Jacquen "Boeta" Appollis. Both, along with Van Rhyn and later Maka Lima, were arrested in connection with the case.
They were charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.
The charges were dropped against Maka Lima a week later.
A trial-within-a-trial is currently underway to determine the admissibility of statements allegedly made under duress by Van Rhyn and Appollis.
Van Rhyn testified that police did not show him a warrant of arrest or inform him of his rights when they took him to Jacobsbaai Beach on 4 March 2024.
There, he claimed, he was handcuffed, assaulted, and had a firearm forced into his mouth. He stated that this mistreatment continued at the Sea Border offices in Saldanha.
He described how police showed him Appollis “hanging” in a room, then made him undress and suspended him between two chairs using an aluminium pipe behind his knees.
“They put a black plastic bag over my head and pushed my head back and forth,” he said. “When I said I didn’t know what happened to Joshlin, they hit me and told me to stop talking s**t.”
The accused claimed that Sergeant Felicia Johnson, who testified earlier in the trial, was in the room during the torture.
Van Rhyn also recalled one officer mocking him over not attending his mother’s funeral. Another accused him of handing Joshlin over to former co-accused Lima. Van Rhyn confirmed he knew Lima and provided her address.
He said he was taken to Lima's home in the middle of the night, where she and her family were taken to the Sea Border offices.
His testimony continues as the court hears more about the circumstances surrounding his alleged confession.