A mom in South Africa has just been sentenced to life in prison for selling her own daughter. Joshlin Smith — only six years old — has been missing since February 2024, and even now, no one really knows where she is.
Her mother, Kelly Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn, were all found guilty of trafficking and kidnapping. The court gave them each a life sentence for the trafficking charge and added ten more years for kidnapping.
They didn’t cry. They didn’t react. The community members who were in the courtroom, though — they clapped when the judge announced the sentence. You could tell people were angry and hurt.
What Happened to Joshlin?
That’s the part that still doesn’t sit right with anyone — nobody really knows. Joshlin disappeared one afternoon near her home in Saldanha Bay, just outside Cape Town. One moment she was outside, and then she was just gone.
People searched everywhere. Flyers, posters, interviews — her face was all over the news. But months passed, and there was still no trace of her.
During the trial, a neighbor named Lourentia Lombaard came forward and said Kelly had told her she did “something silly.” According to Lourentia, Kelly said she sold her daughter to a traditional healer — or “sangoma,” as they’re called in South Africa.
That part shocked everyone. The witness said the healer wanted Joshlin “for her eyes and skin.” Whether that’s true or not, we don’t really know — it’s what was said in court.
There was also a local pastor who said Kelly had mentioned before that she’d sell her kids for money. Around 20,000 rand, he claimed — that’s about $1,100. And apparently, she said she’d even take less, like $275. That just… doesn’t feel real. But it was said under oath.
No one from Kelly’s side — not her, not the two men with her — gave their own version in court. They stayed silent the whole time.
How the Family’s Holding Up
Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, was outside the court asking once again for her daughter to just be honest — to tell them where Joshlin is.
She said the family is completely broken. “Even if they’re in jail forever, it won’t bring my grandchild back,” she told reporters. And you can tell she’s just tired — tired of the lies, the guessing, the not knowing.
Amanda also said Kelly keeps blaming other people, but at the end of the day, she was the one who did it. That must be one of the worst things for a mother to say about her own child — but when your grandchild disappears and no one tells the truth, what else can you do?
What the Court Said
Judge Nathan Erasmus didn’t hold back. He said there was no reason to treat any of the three differently. They all got the same sentence.
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Life in prison for human trafficking
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10 more years for kidnapping
During sentencing, a social worker’s report described Kelly as manipulative and said it was clear she was the one behind all of it. The report said she was probably the mastermind who made the whole thing happen.
A lot of people in the courtroom were emotional. Some were angry, others just looked heartbroken. The fact that Joshlin still hasn’t been found makes it even worse.
So Where Is Joshlin?
That’s the question everyone’s still asking. No one has been able to say exactly what happened to her or where she went. The most chilling thing from the trial was what her teacher said — that Kelly had once told her Joshlin was already “on a ship, inside a container, on her way to West Africa.”
But again, we don’t know if that was true or just something said in passing. No one came forward to confirm that.
Until someone speaks up — really speaks up — Joshlin’s family, and honestly the whole community, will be left wondering.
And that’s the hardest part.
If you have any info about Joshlin or her whereabouts, authorities are still urging the public to come forward. Because even though the case is closed in court, the story isn’t over until Joshlin is found.
