A heartbreaking case that once gripped the South African public reached its legal conclusion Thursday, as three individuals, including the child’s mother, were handed life sentences for human trafficking and kidnapping in connection to the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
Racquel Chantel Smith, better known to the public as Kelly Smith, was sentenced alongside her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their associate, Steveno van Rhyn. All three were found guilty earlier this month of orchestrating the sale of young Joshlin, who vanished in February 2024 and remains missing to this day.
The sentencing, according to an AP report, was delivered by Judge Nathan Erasmus at a community sports center in the coastal town of Saldanha Bay, roughly 120 kilometers north of Cape Town. Authorities relocated the court proceedings to accommodate the many residents who had followed the tragic story since its inception.
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Each of the three convicted individuals received a life term for human trafficking, along with an additional 10-year sentence for kidnapping.
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Joshlin’s disappearance initially sparked an outpouring of public sympathy for Smith. Volunteers combed nearby sand dunes, and her image, smiling brightly with her hair in pigtails, became a fixture on national television broadcasts. Many rallied around Smith in those early days, unaware of the harrowing truth that would later surface.
Smith had told investigators that she left her daughter in the care of Appollis on the day she disappeared. However, her narrative unraveled under scrutiny, leading to her arrest and a chilling revelation.
A woman who testified during the trial alleged that Smith confided in her that she and the two men had sold Joshlin for approximately $1,000 to a traditional healer, claiming the child was wanted for body parts.
Although the judge did not officially determine who received the child or detail the fate that befell her, the court concluded that Joshlin had been trafficked into slavery or subjected to conditions resembling slavery.
The case has left a deep scar on the South African public, with the unanswered question of Joshlin’s whereabouts still haunting the community and the country.
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