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4mo ago

South African Mother and Two Accomplices Sentenced to Life for Trafficking Six-Year-Old Daughter

Judge Nathan Erasmus imposed maximum penalties, with police broadening the search beyond South Africa’s borders for the still-missing Joshlin Smith.

Kelly Smith, the mother of Joshlin Smith, attends her sentencing at the Western Cape High Court in Saldanha Bay, South Africa, May 29, 2025. A South African judge sentenced Smith and her two accomplices after they were found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking Smith's six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
South African woman was sentenced to life for selling her daughter for ritual use.
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Overview

  • Racquel “Kelly” Smith was given life imprisonment for human trafficking and a concurrent ten-year term for kidnapping after selling her six-year-old daughter for 20,000 rand.
  • Her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn received identical life and kidnapping sentences and will be entered onto the national child protection register.
  • Erasmus ruled that the trio displayed no remorse and dismissed their drug use as a mitigating factor in handing down the harshest possible penalties.
  • Trial testimony revealed Smith sold Joshlin to a sangoma healer drawn to the girl’s “eyes and skin” and discussed plans to traffic her other children.
  • Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said the search has been extended into neighboring countries as authorities pursue new leads and potential arrests.