Joshlin Smith vanished from her home in South Africa in 2004. Credit: Executive Mayor Andrè Truter
The mother of a six-year-old girl who vanished last year has been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking after selling her for her “eyes and skin.”
Kelly Smith, whose daughter Joshlin vanished from their Saldanha Bay home in February 2024, was found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping on May 2.
Her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and friend, Steveno van Rhyn, were also convicted of the same charges.
Prosecutors said Smith planned her daughter’s disappearance and sold her for cash.
Reports say she targeted a sangoma — a traditional healer — who wanted Joshlin for her fair skin and turquoise eyes.
Smith cried as the verdict was read.
Courtroom observers applauded the decision.
Neighbor Lourentia Lombaard testified that Smith confessed her plan just before Joshlin disappeared.
“I did something silly. I sold my child to a sangoma,” Smith allegedly told her.
Lombaard said she saw Smith pack Joshlin’s clothes into a black bag before meeting a woman believed to be the healer.
She also claimed Smith offered money to her and others to stay silent, according to the BBC.
Another neighbor, Paulina Tshosa, described a violent encounter the night before Joshlin vanished.
Paulina Tshosa testified she saw Smith drag Joshlin into a shack during an argument the night before the girl disappeared.
“Joshlin lost a flip-flop in the struggle,” she said — a detail she recalled after seeing the child’s photo in the media.
Smith’s defense tried to discredit Lourentia Lombaard by labeling her a drug user.
Under cross-examination, Lombaard admitted to drug use but stood by her story.
Joshlin’s teacher added to the chilling details.
She testified that Smith told her Joshlin was “on a ship, inside a container, on the way to West Africa.”
This matched earlier claims and fueled fears of international trafficking.
Despite major search efforts by police, firefighters, and dog units, Joshlin remains missing.
The BBC reported that a woman believed to be the sangoma was arrested but later released due to lack of evidence.
Outside the courthouse, emotions flared.
Supporters chanted, “We want Joshlin back,” as the community continues to reel from the case.
Smith, Appollis, and van Rhyn now face possible life sentences.
All three pleaded not guilty.
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