Bulelwa Hoala

Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly Smith, and her co-accused, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, have been sentenced to life in prison for human trafficking.
Judge Nathan Erasmus also handed them 10 years for kidnapping at the Western Cape High Court, sitting in Saldanha Bay on Thursday, 29 May 2024.
Kaya News reports that Erasmus ruled the sentences will run concurrently.
Erasmus said he found no mitigating circumstances in sentencing Smith for kidnapping and human trafficking.
He noted her lack of remorse, disregard for support, and failure to care for her daughter from as early as 19 February 2024.
According to The Daily Maverick, Erasmus also ordered that the names of the accused be entered into the national Child Protection Register.
This comes after Smith, her boyfriend Appollis, and their friend van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and human trafficking Joshlin Smith by the Western Cape High Court on Friday, 2 May 2025.
This concludes the trial after three months of court proceedings, during which shocking details emerged surrounding the disappearance of Joshlin.
On 19 February 2024, Joshlin Smith disappeared outside her home in Middelpos, Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape.
She was six years old at the time.
Authorities are still clueless about her whereabouts.
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