Mother Given Life Sentence in South Africa for Trafficking Missing Daughter

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

A South African woman, Racquel Kelly Smith, has been sentenced to life in prison for trafficking her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, who has been missing since early 2024.

Two men, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno Van Rhyn, were also convicted and received identical sentences for their roles in the crime. Each received an additional ten-year sentence for kidnapping.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Nathan Erasmus at the Western Cape High Court. He described the actions of the three accused as “cold and inexcusable,” stating that their history of drug use offered no justification for their crimes.

Joshlin disappeared from her home in the coastal town of Saldanha Bay in February 2024. Despite widespread police searches and public appeals, her whereabouts remain unknown.

During the trial, which lasted two months, witnesses testified that Smith had confessed to selling her daughter for 20,000 rand (approximately $1,085). Some of the testimonies included disturbing claims that the child was targeted for her physical features, including her skin and eye color.

Judge Erasmus noted that evidence presented by 35 prosecution witnesses clearly pointed to a premeditated act. “Joshlin was exchanged. Promises of payment were made. She was viewed not as a child, but as a transaction,” he said.

The trial, held in a community hall due to the case’s high-profile nature, has sparked national outrage and led to renewed scrutiny of child protection systems in South Africa. Joshlin’s fate remains unknown.