Life Sentence for Mother Who Sold Daughter in South Africa

A South African woman, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, and her two accomplices, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and trafficking Smith’s six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith. The trio was convicted of selling the young girl, who has yet to be found despite a highly publicized search.

Judge Nathan Erasmus handed down the sentence, stating, “On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.” The judge criticized the trio for showing no remorse for their actions, saying, “There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming or deserving of a lesser sentence.”

The court heard testimonies from over 30 witnesses, including a friend and neighbor of Smith’s, Lourentia Lombaard, who turned state witness. Lombaard alleged that Smith told her she had sold Joshlin to a traditional healer for exploitation. The court also heard that Smith had previously discussed selling her children for R20,000 ($1,100; £850) each.

Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, pleaded with her daughter to reveal her granddaughter’s whereabouts, saying, “I don’t feel that any sentence they get will bring my grandchild back.” The family has been left “broken” by Joshlin’s disappearance.

The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence, praising its team for proving that Joshlin was “sold [and] delivered to the intended buyer” for exploitation. Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile vowed to continue the search for Joshlin, saying, “We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin.”