Cape Town girl falsely identified as missing Joshlin Smith targeted online
An Elsies River mother has appealed to social media users to stop linking her daughter to Joshlin Smith, saying it has left her fearful and withdrawn.
A young dancer’s life has been turned upside down after a harmless TikTok video sparked false claims on social media that she is missing girl Joshlin Smith.
Shenikah Jacobs from Elsies River in Cape Town, who bears a resemblance to Joshlin, has gone from being carefree to fearful.
Joshlin, from Saldanha Bay, disappeared on February 19, 2024. She was six years old at the time.
Shortly after she went missing, her mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, Jacquen Rowhan Appollis and Steveno Dumaizio van Rhyn were arrested.
In May 2025, the Western Cape High Court found them guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping, and they were handed life sentences.
Two months earlier, in March, police again intensified the search for Joshlin in Saldanha Bay after receiving new leads, but there was no trace of her.
Online harassment
Shenikah’s mother, Shanan, says the harassment began two weeks ago after a video of her daughter was posted on TikTok.
“My daughter loves dancing and belongs to a dance group. It was an innocent video of her dancing in the street, and then people started commenting, saying she was Joshlin,” explains Shanan.
She adds that online users went on to call for Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie to check whether Shenikah is Joshlin, as he was involved in the search for the missing child.
Call for DNA test
“The most difficult part was when people started demanding my daughter undergo a DNA test. Shenikah read the comments and was left traumatised. She used to be so carefree and now has become fearful and withdrawn,” says Shanan.
While Shanan says her daughter and Joshlin have similar features, she wants to make it clear that Shenikah is not Joshlin.
“The case around Joshlin is so sensitive and heartbreaking, but my daughter has nothing to do with it. I am speaking out because I want to appeal to people on social media to stop making false allegations against my daughter and our family.”
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Read original story on www.citizen.co.za
