South African court sentences woman to life imprisonment for kidnapping and selling her six-year-old daughter
Racquel “Kelly” Smith has been sentenced by court to life imprisonment for kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith.
The sentencing, which took place earlier today, also saw Smith’s boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn receive life terms for human trafficking, along with concurrent 10-year sentences for kidnapping.
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Joshlin Smith, a 6-year-old South African girl was sold by her mother, Racquel Chantel Smith, for £800 to a traditional healer who sought her for her “light eyes and skin.”
Joshlin, who disappeared in February 2024 from Saldanha Bay, remains missing despite extensive searches, with testimony alleging she was trafficked to West Africa.
The case quickly turned from a missing child investigation into a criminal investigation when evidence emerged that Kelly Smith had sold her daughter.
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The trial which lasted for 8 weeks was held at Saldanha’s Multipurpose Centre to allow community access, revealed shocking details.
Prosecutors accused Smith of having “sold, delivered, or exchanged” Joshlin, with one witness, a teacher, testifying that Smith admitted her daughter was “on a ship, inside a container, on the way to West Africa.”
Another witness, Phumza Lombaard, alleged Smith confessed to selling Joshlin to a traditional healer, or for her eyes and skin.
A social worker’s report described Smith as manipulative, labeling her the likely mastermind behind the trafficking operation.
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Judge Nathan Erasmus, presiding over the case, made no distinction between the three accused during sentencing. “On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment,” he declared.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has vowed to continue searching for Joshlin, with collaboration from INTERPOL and regional law enforcement bodies.
