Joshlin Smith: South African police chase new leads for missing girl sold by mother

Police in South Africa are pursuing new leads in the case of a missing girl, Joshlin Smith, whose mother was sentenced to life in prison in May for kidnapping and trafficking the six-year-old girl.

Search and rescue teams on Friday combed through an informal settlement in Saldanha Bay as part of the investigation into the girl’s disappearance, police in Western Cape Province said on Saturday.

Joshlin mysteriously vanished in February 2024 outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, and is yet to be found.

“Whether the ongoing search will yield any success remains to be seen. It is worth reiterating that police have an obligation to follow up and test all information that is brought to their attention,” Western Cape police said in a statement on Saturday.

Investigation never closed

Police said an investigation into the case was never closed despite the sentencing of suspects and urged that the “search teams be afforded space to perform their duties”.

The girl’s mother, Racquel "Kelly" Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced after being convicted of kidnapping and trafficking.

The two-month trial heard statements from various witnesses that Smith had revealed to them that she had sold her daughter, including claims she was paid 20,000 rand ($1,085).

Public support

Many locals had joined the police in days of searches for the girl around their area. The case drew national attention, including from Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, who offered a one-million-rand ($54,000) reward for her safe return.

But it took a turn when prosecutors alleged that Smith sold her daughter.

The judge’s verdict did not make any conclusions on who the child was sold to or exactly what happened to her, but said she had been sold for slavery or practices similar to slavery.