After 500-Day Delay in Foundation Launch
Gayton McKenzie has defended the long delay in launching the Joshlin Smith Foundation, saying his Patriotic Alliance (PA) believes it has received new and significant information about the disappearance of the six-year-old girl from Saldanha Bay.
McKenzie, the minister of sport, arts and culture and leader of the PA, made the remarks during a live broadcast on his party’s Facebook page last Sunday evening. He was responding to questions raised by Rapport, City Press’ sister publication, which reported last week that more than 500 days had passed since he promised to establish a foundation in Joshlin’s name, yet no public launch has taken place.
Joshlin Smith disappeared from Saldanha Bay in February 2024. Her disappearance gripped the country and led to an extensive search, in which McKenzie and members of the PA were actively involved. In May last year, three people were sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and kidnapping linked to the case. They are Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, her then-boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn.
In July 2024, McKenzie announced that he would donate his full ministerial salary to establish the Joshlin Smith Foundation for missing children. A cabinet minister earns about R2.5 million a year. The foundation, according to McKenzie, has already been registered, but it has not yet been launched, despite repeated public commitments.
During the Facebook broadcast, McKenzie said the delay was deliberate. “There is a reason [for the delay of the foundation’s launch], and I’m going to tell you what the reason is why we postponed this, because there is new information that we have received about Joshlin Smith’s disappearance,” he said.
He went on to claim that the information came from an independent investigation, not from the police. “I just need to wait for the people who have been working [on it to share the information, because] I am not the one who did further investigations, and the police also did not do further investigations,” McKenzie said.
According to him, the investigation was conducted by “very good people who did not want to give up”. He added: “There are very good people who did not want to give up, and they had a breakthrough that we will share with you after we have spoken with the minister of police.”
McKenzie said he personally allocated money to fund this independent investigation, but refused to disclose who was behind it. He did, however, confirm that the Joshlin Smith Foundation would be launched in Saldanha Bay, the child’s hometown, once these processes were concluded.
The minister also claimed during the broadcast that Rapport did not contact him before publishing its report questioning the delay in launching the foundation. This claim is disputed. Rapport had sent an enquiry to his spokesperson, Stacey-Lee Khojane, five days before the report was published. The enquiry was not answered.
PA spokespersons have previously indicated that they were instructed by McKenzie not to respond to enquiries from Rapport, as he is unhappy with the publication’s critical reporting. Khojane also did not respond to follow-up questions for the current report.
Rapport sought clarity on several issues, including what the new information in Joshlin’s case entails, when it would be shared with the minister of police, and whether a new date has been set for the foundation’s launch. Khojane also did not respond to questions about why McKenzie claimed he was never contacted ahead of last week’s report.
Joshlin’s disappearance was not only a criminal case but also became a political touchpoint. McKenzie and PA members helped search for the child and later used her disappearance as the basis for church services held across the country. These gatherings took place in the run-up to the 2024 general election and were used to canvass support for the PA.
The strategy appeared to resonate with voters. In the 29 May elections, the PA received enough support to become the sixth-largest party in South Africa. As a result of this electoral success, McKenzie was appointed as a minister in the government of national unity.
Despite the life sentences handed down to Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, questions and emotions around Joshlin’s disappearance remain raw for many South Africans. McKenzie’s promise to establish a foundation in her name was initially welcomed by some as a way to honour her and support other families affected by missing children.
However, the continued delay, now explained by claims of new information and a private investigation, has drawn scrutiny. While McKenzie insists the foundation will be launched and that developments in the case will soon be shared with the police minister, concrete timelines and details remain unclear.
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