The name Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith is now synonymous with a mother's ultimate betrayal. In the close-knit community of Saldanha Bay, South Africa, a chain of events unfolded, culminating in the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
The subsequent investigation and trial have exposed a disturbing narrative, one centered around Kelly Smith's alleged involvement in the kidnapping and trafficking of her own daughter. The Western Cape High Court heard allegations that Joshlin was sold to a sangoma for R20,000, purportedly destined for Nigeria. This single accusation has cast a long shadow, demanding a closer examination of the facts and the background that led to this heart-wrenching situation.
The life sentences handed down to Kelly Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and family acquaintance Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn, marked a somber moment. Yet, even as the legal proceedings reached a conclusion, the most crucial question remained unanswered: Where is Joshlin? The community, united in grief and a desperate longing for answers, continues to grapple with the unsettling details that have emerged.
Joshlin’s godmother, Natasha Andrews, voiced the collective pain and frustration stemming from the silence of the convicted. Her words painted a vivid picture of Joshlin as a cherished member of their family, deeply loved and cared for. The refusal of the accused to provide any information about Joshlin's whereabouts only intensifies the anguish and prolongs the search for closure.
Amanda Smith-Daniels, Kelly’s mother, embodies the complex emotions of a parent grappling with a child's unimaginable actions. Torn between unconditional love and the recognition that her daughter must face the consequences, She said: "My love will never vanish, because no parent can bury their love. I had a son who passed on, I still cry every day. My love for her will never disappear. I’m a total wreck. I’ve been depressed since this case started.”
On the following day she revealed that plans are in place for her to legally adopt Smith’s two other children. Amanda Smith-Daniels further said she tried to say goodbye to her daughter shortly after court proceedings concluded following their life in prison sentences that Kelly and her two co-accused were slapped with; however, Kelly flatly refused to talk to her.
Surprisingly, Kelly Smith her welcomed friends, community members and some of her other family members with open arms when they wanted to greet her, except her own mother. Smith-Daniels said she was told that the reason her daughter refused to see her was because of the “powerful and truthful” victim impact statement she gave the State, which was read out in court on Wednesday last week.
Speaking to News reporters, Kelly's mother said: "She absolutely hates me right now, and that’s okay. I am aware that she is not happy about what was read out from me in court, but I spoke my truth, and I am sticking to it."
Kelly's 10-year-old son, now lives with Smith-Daniels in the Northern Cape. Her youngest daughter, 2, is staying with her dad, Jose Emke, also in the Northern Cape.
Smith-Daniels said her daughter’s actions were an “embarrassment” to the family.
Part of Smith-Daniels’ victim impact statement read:
“How do you sleep? How do you live with yourself? No punishment that you will get will be enough until Joshlin is found.”
Smith-Daniels said she had “no hard feelings” about Kelly not wanting to see her.
However, she said Kelly must be held accountable for her terrible actions because her grandchild, Joshlin is missing. She said: "Did she (Kelly) honestly expect me to still tell the court to give her a lenient sentence?”
Asked if she plans on ever taking the children to visit their mother in prison, Smith-Daniels responded: “Never! That’s not going to happen!”.
She said the children have been through enough heartache and she will never put them through that torment of visiting Kelly so that they can be more traumatised.
Detailing her grandchildren’s “new life” in the Northern Cape, she said Smith’s son has his own room for the first time in his life.
The trial exposed a troubled past for Kelly Smith, revealing a life marked by addiction and instability. Born in October 2017, to Smith and her former partner Jose Emke, Joshlin's early years were marred by neglect, according to a social worker who testified during the trial.
Growing up, Kelly Smith had lived with her maternal grandmother and had struggled with substance abuse since she was 15 – often becoming abusive towards her and her children when she was high, social workers said. This history of substance abuse and instability paints a picture of a mother struggling to provide a stable and nurturing environment for her children.
A report prepared by a social worker for the sentencing hearing paints a stark picture of Smith's drug addiction at the time of Joshlin's birth. Her grandmother had kicked Smith out of the family home because of her drug use and she had threatened to stab her own son at that time. These details underscore the severity of Kelly's addiction and the potential impact on her ability to care for her children.
The judge noted that it took Smith five months to register Joshlin's birth – by law this must be done within 30 days – and had lived intermittently at a shelter for abused women. These facts highlight the challenges Kelly faced in providing a stable and secure life for Joshlin.
When she went into rehab later on, family friend Natasha Andrews stepped in to care for Joshlin – and she and her husband had wanted to adopt her. She said she and her husband could have provided for her better than her mother, but the plans fell apart in 2018 as the parents wouldn't agree to it.
Despite this, Joshlin often visited the Andrews family for weekends and school holidays and would go on trips with them. The clip shown in court on Wednesday of Joshlin laughing was from one of those holidays and formed part of Ms Andrews' victim statement. These visits provided Joshlin with a glimpse of a stable and loving family environment, highlighting the contrast between her life with Kelly and the potential for a more secure future.
She shared this and other photos of Joshlin playing with her own daughter because so many people don't know what Joshlin sounds like, she said. It was this and her description of her family's pain that sparked the greatest outpouring of emotion in the courtroom.
Joshlin grew up in a corrugated iron structure, commonly known as a shack, located in Middelpos informal settlement with her mother, her mother's partner, her brother and younger half-sister. The social workers' report described the shack as offering little in the way of privacy due to its highly restrictive living space.
Kelly Smith did odd jobs to support her family, including part-time domestic work for Kelly Zeegers, who lived with her family in a nearby neighbourhood and paid her with groceries instead of cash. This was to make sure that she and the children have a plate of food, Ms Zeegers said during her testimony. Zeegers's decision to pay Kelly with groceries rather than cash reflects a concern that the money would not be used to provide for her children's needs.
Some witnesses did describe Kelly Smith as a good mother; her sister told the court Joshlin was the spitting image of her mum when she was young.
Despite the conclusion of the trial, the authorities remain steadfast in their search for Joshlin. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile has affirmed that the investigation is ongoing, with every lead being pursued relentlessly.
Testimonies presented during the trial revealed disturbing details about Kelly Smith's alleged intentions. A neighbor testified that Kelly had confided in her about plans to sell Joshlin to a traditional healer, who purportedly sought her for her eyes and skin. This chilling revelation offered a glimpse into the alleged motives behind Joshlin's disappearance and the dark path Kelly Smith was believed to have taken.
Lourentia Lombaard, a neighbor of Smith, testified that Kelly admitted to doing something silly and selling her child to a sangoma, a traditional healer. Lombaard further alleged that Kelly offered her money in exchange for her silence, suggesting an attempt to conceal her involvement in Joshlin's disappearance.
Adding to the disturbing narrative, Joshlin’s teacher, Edna Maart, testified that Kelly claimed Joshlin was on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa, specifically Nigeria. Edna Maart, revealed that Kelly had claimed a Nigerian man had contacted her and said Joshlin was being transported to West Africa. Kelly told Maart that the man told her to be quick because her daughter was already on a boat, inside a container, on the way to West Africa.
Edna Maart, who described Joshlin as a very tidy and quiet student, provided a stark contrast to the image of a mother willing to sell her own child.
Steven Coetzee, a resident of Saldanha Bay and an evangelist, testified that Kelly Smith had allegedly planned to sell her children as early as August 2023 for as little as 5,000 Rand. Coetzee recounted a conversation with Kelly in which she spoke of a bad family situation and her plans to have her children taken away. She mentioned waiting for people who were supposed to come to her, but they had let her down. She said that if they came this time and didn’t have the full 20,000 Rand, she would settle for 5,000 Rand.
Coetzee further testified that Kelly had made a chilling remark about an upcoming incident. He said she assured him that in January or February, Middelpos would look like a movie scene. He said she told him that he will see with his own eyes what will happen in Middelpos, Diazville. It will be like a movie—vehicles, pedestrians, people everywhere. He further revealed that Kelly said they will search but won’t find anything because she will make the child go far away.
She explained that Joshlin, who had started school a few weeks before her disappearance, and her brother had stayed at home that day because they did not have clean uniforms. The children had been mainly left in the care of Appollis as Smith was in and out during course of the day, occasionally returning to smoke. This account paints a picture of neglect and a lack of supervision, creating an environment in which Joshlin's disappearance could occur.
It is not clear exactly how or when Joshlin went missing but the trial established it was some time during the afternoon – but the preoccupation of most of the adults meant the disappearance was only reported to the police at 9 pm. The delay in reporting Joshlin's disappearance raises questions about the adults' concern for her well-being and the possibility that they were attempting to conceal something.
The social worker appointed to compile the report on the trio ahead of their sentencing described Smith as manipulative and someone who told bald-faced lies. It is therefore, not a stretch to conclude that Smith is the mastermind behind the trafficking of her own daughter, he said. This assessment of Kelly's character supports the theory that she was the driving force behind Joshlin's disappearance and the alleged plan to sell her to Nigeria.
According to reports 632 children were reported missing last year and 8,743 over the past 10 years. These statistics highlight the prevalence of missing children in South Africa and the urgent need for increased efforts to protect vulnerable children like Joshlin.
Van Rhyn, alongside Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis and Kelly Smith all pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and trafficking in persons but Judge Nathan Erasmus found the trio guilty on the two counts. The three were last week slapped with life in prison sentences.
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