After months of heartbreak and a trial that’s gripped the country, the Western Cape High Court has finally delivered its verdict in the case of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith. Joshlin’s mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, along with Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, has been found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking. Judge Nathan Erasmus handed down the judgment on Friday, 2 May 2025, at the Western Cape High Court sitting in Saldanha Bay.
You’ll remember we’ve been following this story since Joshlin first went missing on 19 February 2024 from the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay. She was only six at the time and would have celebrated her seventh birthday that October.
But more than a year later, the most painful part remains Joshlin is still missing.
Just last week, we told you that the case was reaching its final chapter. The three accused, Joshlin’s own mother, her boyfriend Appollis, and their acquaintance Van Rhyn were waiting to hear their fate after being on trial for months. Now, that chapter has officially closed with a guilty verdict, but the story, sadly, is far from over.
She said, ‘Mommy, I don’t know where Joshlin is’.
Even with the guilty verdict, for Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Daniels-Smith, there is no sense of closure, just more unanswered questions.
Shortly after the judgment, Daniels-Smith visited Kelly in the holding cells at the Saldanha Bay Multipurpose Centre. In a heart-wrenching moment between mother and daughter, Daniels-Smith pleaded for answers.
“I asked Kelly if she could please talk and tell me where Joshlin was. She cried and said, ‘Mommy, I don’t know where Joshlin is and I’m not involved.’
“Kelly told me she was going to speak during the sentencing process, but she didn’t say what she was going to say.”
The trial may be over, but for Daniels-Smith and Rita Yon Joshlin’s grandmothers, peace is still playing hide and seek. Rita’s son, Jose Emke, is Joshlin’s biological dad, and like any family caught in the middle of heartbreak and headlines, they’re just hoping for that one missing puzzle piece to fall into place.
“I was happy with the verdict,” Daniels-Smith admitted, “but it didn’t satisfy me. I’m so angry and I don’t want to see [Kelly] if she knows where my [grand]child is. I just want my grandchild back. If I can get an idea where Joshlin is, then I can get closure.”
Did Kelly Smith sell her daughter for R20,000?
A turning point in the trial came from evangelist Nico Coetzee, who had previously spoken with Kelly Smith in the Northern Cape. He told the court that she had mentioned plans to sell her children for R20,000 and that she’d settle for R5,000 if needed.
“She [Smith] told me she is waiting for people who were supposed to come to her who were supposed to come earlier but disappointed her. If they come this time and they do not have the full amount of R20,000 then she will be satisfied with R5,000,” Coetzee testified.
He also testified that Smith had told him in January or February 2024: “You will see with your own eyes what will happen in Middelpos and Diazville.” Coetzee said he told his boss about this conversation before it was ever reported in the media.
Judge Nathan Erasmus found Coetzee’s testimony credible and noted he had no personal interest in the case.
Coetzee’s account was backed by Lombaard, who testified that Smith had told her about the plan to sell Joshlin. She said Smith even offered to pay her and Van Rhyn to stay quiet. While Lombaard’s testimony had inconsistencies, parts of her story aligned with other statements and evidence, including the amount discussed.
Suspicious behaviour after Joshlin disappeared
The court also looked at how the three behaved after Joshlin went missing. None of them helped to search for her.
Judge Erasmus said this was because they already knew she had been sold.
He also referred to how Smith acted at the prayer service on 3 March 2024, where Coetzee saw her dancing and looking happy the judge said this was unusual for someone whose child had just disappeared.
Judge Erasmus condemned the three for not testifying
In delivering his judgment, Judge Erasmus criticised the accused for choosing to remain silent throughout the trial.
“You have a right to remain silent, [but] there comes a time where the evidence is such that it calls out for an answer, and yes, you may still exercise your right, but it has risk because the court can draw inferences.
He concluded that Joshlin had been “exchanged” — meeting the legal definition of kidnapping and that promises of payment showed clear intent to traffic her.
What happens next
All three have been found guilty of both kidnapping and human trafficking. They are due back in court this Friday, 9 May 2025, for sentencing.
Lona is a recent graduate with an Honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Wits University. Passionate about storytelling, she is eager to learn, grow, and hone her writing skills.
