New evidence in Joshlin Smith kidnapping case: Gayton McKenzie speaks out
Joshlin Smith was last seen on February 19, 2024 outside her home in Saldanha Bay.
Image: Supplied
At the launch of the Joshlin Smith (JS) Foundation in Saldanha on Sunday, Gayton McKenzie, leader of the Patriotic Alliance announced his intention to present new evidence to Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia.
McKenzie also said Laurentia “Renz” Lombaard is ready to disclose information regarding the kidnapping.
He will be stepping back from the foundation due to Ministry duties and rules.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at the Dial Rock Community Hall, McKenzie said that the proceedings were streamed live on Facebook.
Minister Gayton McKenzie, leader of the Patriotic Alliance.
Image: Supplied
The Joshlin Smith trial gripped the nation; the blonde-haired girl became everyone’s child, and the proceedings took an extraordinary turn by being held in a municipal hall instead of a courthouse to accommodate the large crowd eager to hear the case.
On May 29, 2025, Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced to life imprisonment plus 10 years for trafficking in persons and kidnapping.
Judge Nathan Erasmus stated that a sentence of life imprisonment is the appropriate penalty in cases of human trafficking of a child, even in the absence of remorse. He maintained that imposing a lighter sentence or allowing an appeal would be inappropriate.
In August last year, the court denied the appeal application from all three accused in the Joshlin Smith disappearance case. Lombaard, the State's key witness, was granted Section 204 indemnity by Erasmus.
At the time of sentencing, a prohibition was placed on all three individuals, preventing them from ever working with children, by entering their names into the National Child Protection Register.
McKenzie vowed that the truth about the case would be revealed and who was behind it, citing that he had Joshlin’s family’s support and that they had never spoken ill about him. “If you do not give an answer for all the accusations, I must start at the beginning,” he said. “I also want to tell you why we have not found Joshlin yet and who is responsible for us not finding Joshlin yet. The truth must come out today.”
He retold the story of how he joined the search for Joshlin and that he never spared any cent and had in fact helped police to arrest the three accused but believed they were not the main role players.
He said Ayanda Letoni, the boyfriend of Lombaard, was the “mastermind” behind the kidnapping. Lombaard is to tell the truth about what happened to Joshlin.
He had the community clinging to his every word when he claimed that Regan Allen, the former MEC for Community Safety and Police Oversight, allegedly messed up the investigation after taking “Ayanda” to SAPS, leading to a kidnapping charge that was later withdrawn.
He further claimed that Steveno had fingered “Ayanda” as being involved.
“We found all three suspects, all three of them,” he said. “But something happened; the three people in jail are not the ones involved. When they said they cannot find Steveno, we went to find Stefano; I put him in the car and I put my Facebook live on and I asked: ‘Hosh bro, waar is die kind?’ Steveno in that moment, Ayanda got the child; you can go check it, on the video.
"Steveno did not see a policeman or president of a party; he saw someone who was in jail with him, with a higher ranking, volgens die nommer, moet hy nie met my lieg nie.
“In that moment he could not lie to me. All of that we gave to them; the cops said these people are innocent. I said there is something here... Boeta told me, ‘I am tired of lying’, Kelly walked into the room.." Then we got a tip-off that she was in Dubai; then we went to Dubai. The cops called us to arrest them… we took them to them; we took Ayanda to the police station because he was the mastermind in the disappearance of this child (crowd cheered). When they got to the police station, he sent a message to Boeta, ‘Ayanda is going to speak; you better talk first.’ We sent the message to Steveno; when Steveno was ready to speak, Ayanda himself wanted to speak the truth.
"The MEC of Safety and Security goes into the room when Ayanda was about to tell the truth and he said to Ayanda, ‘We are here to help you; Gayton McKenzie kidnapped you; you must sue him.’ "They called a press conference while the detective is sitting, and the DA is taking over now. This investigation is at its most sensitive stage, and at the press conference, they said I must be arrested; I laughed. Next moment my lawyer called me and said the detectives are looking for me.
He said he would go to SAPS the next day and was told to make a statement: ‘We are charging you for kidnapping Ayanda.’ I was charged; I said, can I ask you just one question, how do you kidnap someone to the police station?
"The media never wrote this; they charged me; I had to write a warning statement. They said they are going to go to the prosecutor. The prosecutors looked at the case and said there is no case and that we are withdrawing it against you.”
He further stated that he had launched the foundation to assist with missing persons cases, not just Joshlin’s case.
He later remarked that his Private Investigator (PI) continued to work behind the scenes and that Ayanda’s home had allegedly been raided 20 days ago and that he was preparing to take new evidence to the Minister.
“The last time I paid the PI, it was twenty days ago when they raided the house of Ayanda. Ayanda beat up his child he has with Renz. Renz then said, ‘I am going to tell the truth where Joshlin is; that is why I still believe Joshlin is still alive.’
"There are statements… Wednesday I am going straight to the Minister of Police to say here is the evidence; I am no longer going to the cops; he is an honest man, but what he is going to do I do not know; Renz is willing to speak.”
McKenzie said he never politicised Joshlin’s case and vowed to support her siblings and would be behind the scenes with the foundation due to his Ministerial role.
“Next week we are opening a multi-million rand sports centre at Joshlin’s school,” he said. “I made that promise; today I am stepping back from the foundation because as a Minister I cannot get involved because I must have people independently run the foundation; those people must see that the cases have the same attention as Joshlin.
The PA leader said the foundation must ensure that the two children are supported and cared for
following the trauma surrounding their six-year-old sister’s disappearance.
"I want Joshlin’s sister and brother; I want their school fees and their upkeep to be paid by this foundation. These children have gone through a lot. I want these kids' school holidays; I want them with the people looking after them, to go with them overseas to Disneyland.”
No matter how many millions it costs, Joshlin Smith’s brother and sister must go to Disneyland in
Hong Kong within two weeks, Gayton McKenzie said on Sunday.