After hearing harrowing details of how Joshlin Smith was allegedly trafficked by her mother, her paternal grandmother said she still has hope that she will be found alive.
Louretta Yon made this statement hours after it emerged at the Western Cape High Court that the girl’s mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, had allegedly sold her daughter for R20 000.
Joshlin disappeared on February 19, 2024, from Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, at the age of six.
Her mother, the mother's boyfriend, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and their friend, Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn, were charged with kidnapping and human trafficking. They were arrested weeks after she vanished.
As the trial began in Cape Town, a decision was made to hold the proceedings at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Diazville, near Joshlin’s family.
Her father, José Emke, has attended every court appearance. On Wednesday, he collapsed while listening to testimony.
In the courtroom, the public gallery was divided—on the right sat Joshlin’s paternal family members, while the left was occupied by supporters of the accused.
On Friday, the court heard testimony from State witness and former accused, Lourentia ‘Renz’ Lombaard, who claimed the girl was taken away in a white VW Polo. The evidence brought many in the community to tears.
Yon said: “I still have hope that Joshlin will be found alive. I will talk about this when the trial is over.”
Lombaard made the chilling accusation that Kelly sold her child to a sangoma.
The State witness testified that on February 18, Kelly allegedly met a black woman in a white VW Polo.
The woman handed Kelly something, which she placed inside her trousers.
Later, the witness overheard Kelly showing Boeta R20 000.
After Lombaard asked Kelly what was going on, the witness said Kelly replied, “I sold my child to a sangoma” because she needed the money.
“She said she was going to give her R1 000, Steveno R1 200, and the rest would be shared between herself and Boeta. She also offered me money to keep quiet because we knew about the plan.
“I never received any money from Kelly. I asked her how she was going to take Joshlin away, and she said she would make a plan.”
On Monday, Lombaard returned home from work around 2pm and saw Kelly allegedly packing Joshlin’s clothes into a cooler bag before walking to the same white VW Polo.
Lombaard hid behind a rock as she watched.
“Kelly and Joshlin got into the backseat of the car, and they drove off. Earlier that day, Kelly had told us not to report Joshlin missing — she would report it herself.”
Kelly returned home around 4pm, and all four ‘binged’ on drugs.
“I went home to make food for my children and boyfriend. Later that evening, Boeta asked me if I had seen Joshlin.
“I asked him why he would ask me such a thing.
“Around 8pm, Kelly came to my home with the police and asked me if I had seen Joshlin. I asked her why she was asking me when she knew exactly what she had done with her child. I told her to tell the police.
"Later on the same night, Kelly, Boeta, and Steffie came with the police and that upset my boyfriend and asked why I was bringing police to his house."
Judge Nathan Erasmus postponed the matter to Monday and all the accused were remanded in custody.
Earlier this week, Kelly’s neighbour, Namhla Tinzi, testified that when she returned home around 5pm on 19 February 2024, Kelly asked her if she had seen Joshlin.
“I helped her search for Joshlin for hours and then left her with the police.”
Joshlin’s teacher, Edna Maart, testified that Kelly had jumped into her car at a petrol station the day after Joshlin went missing. Kelly allegedly said a Nigerian man had told her that Joshlin was on a boat to West Africa and that Boeta was not guilty.
Evangelist Nico Steven Coetzee told the court that in August 2023, Kelly had claimed Middelpos would soon resemble a ‘movie scene’, with people searching but finding nothing. He also revealed that Kelly had spoken about selling her children for R20 000 but was willing to accept R5 000.
Community member Elizabeth Arendse said she was in denial when she first heard that Joshlin may have been trafficked.
“Every time I saw Kelly with her kids, she would ask them to greet me. She seemed so loving toward them.
“When Lourentia told the court that Joshlin was given to a sangoma, I got really scared. I am losing hope every time someone testifies.”
The Good Party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, said the Saldanha Bay community remains traumatised.
“The extent to which human trafficking has affected a small community is devastating to witness. Clearly, our policing services need to pay far more attention to human trafficking. I hope they are focusing on the minor details.
“What we heard on Friday was traumatising — to think that a child was simply handed over to people in a car is horrifying.”
Lombaard will continue her testimony on Monday, after which the defence attorneys will cross-examine her.
More witnesses, including one from outside the province, are expected to testify.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za