Judge Nathan Erasmus has sentenced the three suspects, who he convicted of kidnapping and trafficking Joshlin Smith in Middlepos, Saldanha, last year, to life in prison.

The Witness reports that Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith and her two co-accused were sentenced this morning to loud applause from the crowd.

Found guilty

Erasmus, earlier in the month, found Smith and her two co-accused — a boyfriend and a mutual friend — guilty on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.

“I have already found that on the evidence before me, Joshlin was exchanged,” he said.

“The evidence is from all scores there were payments, or at least the promise of payments,” he said, accusing Smith of regarding her daughter, who was aged six when she disappeared, as a ‘commodity’.

National attention

The trial was held in a community hall in the small fishing town of Saldanha Bay, north of Cape Town, where the case sparked outrage.

The case drew national attention, including from Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie, who offered a R1m reward for her safe return.

But it took a turn when prosecutors alleged that Smith sold her daughter to a traditional healer, who was interested in her eyes and fair complexion.

Shocking testimonies

Explosive details that played out in court included statements from the girl’s teacher and a pastor, who said the mother had told him of the planned sale of her child in 2023.

Watch the sentencing:

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