‘She must tell me where my grandchild is’: Kelly’s mother wants answers after Joshlin Smith trial verdict

While all three accused in the Joshlin Smith trial have been convicted, uncertainty continues to cloud the case as the child’s whereabouts remain unknown.

On Friday, Western Cape High Court Judge Nathan Erasmus found Racquel “Kelly” Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking.

Erasmus delivered the verdict in Saldanha Bay, ruling that the state had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt regarding Joshlin’s disappearance from Middelpos on 19 February 2024.

The convicted trio now face life imprisonment, the prescribed minimum sentence for human trafficking.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 May.

Reactions to Joshlin Smith trial verdict

Speaking to the media at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Diazville, Joshlin’s maternal grandmother, Amanda Smith Daniels, demanded answers from her daughter.

“She must tell me where my grandchild is, that’s all,” she said.

“Nobody knows if Joshlin is still alive, so I am angry and I don’t want to see her… I believe she knows where the child is,” Smith Daniels added.

Joshlin’s paternal grandmother, Louretta Yon, welcomed the court’s ruling, but echoed the urgent need to find the missing child.

“I am very tired,” Yon told reporters.

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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) lauded the conviction and acknowledged the wide-ranging efforts that went into the investigation.

“This case saw the largest number of resources put together from the police, the City of Cape Town, the Navy and the community of Saldanha in the search for Joshlin Smith.

“The National Prosecuting Authority salutes those who were involved in these efforts and I want to appeal to them that our responsibility is not over as long as Joshlin Smith remains missing,” Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Nicolette Bell said in a statement.

Investigation still ongoing

Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile also praised the prosecution and investigative teams for their perseverance.

“I’m happy about the judgment. We were at some stage reluctant [and] hesitant, but we knew that our investigation team and the process team had put up a case and it was up to the judge to make a determination,” he told eNCA.

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Patekile emphasised that the missing person investigation remains open.

“We’re still looking for Joshlin and we’re still appealing to every person. As we said, we have cast the net wider, worldwide.

“At one stage you could recall that we even stopped a vessel in Great Britain.

“For three days, we were searching that vessel up to nothing. But we still hope that we will get closer to [finding] Joshlin,” he said.

“We were hoping that Kelly Smith would take the [witness] stand so that we would find where is Joshlin.

“Unfortunately we could not get that opportunity because she was exercising in the right to remain silent, but we continue. The investigation is not closed,” the commissioner remarked.

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