A South African court has heard allegations that a traditional healer sought six-year-old Joshlin Smith for her eyes and fair complexion before her disappearance last year.
Her mother, Kelly Smith, is on trial for allegedly orchestrating the kidnapping. Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn have pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking and kidnapping, according to the BBC.
Joshlin vanished in February 2024 outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, sparking nationwide concern. Despite an extensive search, the six-year-old remains missing. Her mother initially claimed she left Joshlin in the care of her boyfriend, Appollis.
However, prosecutors later accused Smith of “selling, delivering, or exchanging” her daughter and lying about the disappearance.
Now in its third week, the trial over Joshlin’s disappearance is being held at a community center in Saldanha.
Testimony revealed that her mother waited over six hours before reporting Joshlin missing and appeared unusually calm during the search, showing more concern for her boyfriend’s whereabouts than her daughter.
The second week of the trial brought even more shocking revelations. A local pastor testified that as early as 2023, Smith spoke about selling her three children for 20,000 rand ($1,100) each but was willing to accept as little as $275.
Joshlin’s teacher also alleged in court that during the search, Smith claimed her daughter was already “on a ship, inside a container, and on the way to West Africa.”
These allegations were overshadowed by explosive testimony from Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbor, who turned state witness. Lombaard testified last week, detailing events leading to Joshlin’s disappearance and the involvement of a traditional healer, or sangoma.
She alleged that Smith confessed, saying, “I did something silly… I sold my child to a sangoma,” driven by financial desperation.
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Lombaard claimed Smith promised hush money to those aware of the plan and later saw her pack Joshlin’s clothes into a black bag before walking to meet a woman believed to be the sangoma.
The star witness testified that she saw Smith and Joshlin get into a white car with a woman before driving away.
On her final day on the stand, Lombaard claimed the person who allegedly took Joshlin wanted her “for her eyes and skin.” The court did not clarify why a sangoma would seek a child for such reasons.
A woman believed to be a traditional healer was initially charged alongside Smith and her co-accused but was later released due to lack of evidence.
Sangomas are legally recognized in South Africa under the Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007 and are believed to provide healing and guidance through ancestral spirits.
However, some fraudulent practitioners have been linked to unethical practices, including selling charms involving body parts.
Lombaard expressed regret over her role in Joshlin’s disappearance, saying she unsuccessfully tried to stop Smith from selling her daughter. She made a plea for Joshlin’s safe return. The trial is set to continue until March 28.
