A South African court convicted a mother and two accomplices on Friday for the kidnapping and trafficking of her 6-year-old daughter, a case that captured national attention since the child went missing last year. Joshlin Smith, who was 6 at the time, vanished from her home in the small town of Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province on February 19, 2024, prompting a nationwide search that has yet to locate her. Kelly Smith, the mother, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn, faced allegations of selling the child for a fee.
The Western Cape High Court judge found all three guilty of kidnapping and trafficking. Judge Nathan Erasmus remarked on Smith’s behavior, stating, ‘The conduct of … Ms Smith is not that of a concerned parent. And why not? In my mind the only inference is that you knew (what happened),’ addressing Smith, who remained silent in the courtroom. The case has deeply unsettled South Africa, with one witness testifying that Smith claimed to have sold her daughter to a sangoma, or traditional healer, for 20,000 rand ($1,100), citing the girl’s
