Life in prison for South African mother who sold her missing daughter

Mother, boyfriend and friend get life sentences in South Africa for trafficking missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith

In a case that gripped South Africa and sparked nationwide outrage, a high court on Thursday sentenced Racquel “Kelly” Smith to life in prison for trafficking her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, who vanished in February 2024 from the town of Middelpos, Saldanha Bay.

Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking the child to a traditional healer for R20,000 (about $1,100). A witness told the court that Smith admitted to selling Joshlin, allegedly due to the child's desirable "eyes and skin."

Despite widespread searches and national pleas for help, Joshlin has never been found. The child's disappearance stunned the country, with many initially sympathising with Smith, who claimed she had left Joshlin in Appollis’s care the day she vanished.

WATCH: Racquel “Kelly” Smith, Steveno van Rhyn, Jacquen “Boeta” Appolis and Lourentia “Renz” Lombaard step into the dock in the Vredenburg Magistrates Court. pic.twitter.com/UaTG3Jlpak

— Cape Times (@CapeTimesSA) July 15, 2024

High court judge Nathan Erasmus said drug use by the trio was no excuse for their actions and handed down the maximum sentence, stating: "There is nothing redeeming here, nothing deserving of leniency."

Each of the accused received an additional 10 years in prison for kidnapping. The case remains a painful chapter for South Africa, with public calls for continued efforts to locate the missing girl.