In the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Kelly Smith, the mother of missing Joshlin Smith, emphatically stated, ‘I did not sell her.’ Kelly, noticeably pregnant, appeared in court for the proceedings.
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Smith, accompanied by her boyfriend Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis and their acquaintances Steveno van Rhyn and Lourentia Lombaard, stood together in the dock. The quartet faced charges of kidnapping and human trafficking concerning the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin in March.
The Diazville Primary School student vanished from her residence in Middelpos 85 days prior, on 19 February, and speculation suggests she may have been sold for R20 000.
Monday saw a significant turnout of Saldanha Bay residents outside the courthouse, all hopeful to receive information regarding the whereabouts of the missing girl. Clad in Patriotic Alliance T-shirts, the crowd disembarked from a chartered bus, chanting: ‘Where is Joshlin?’
In court, State advocate Aradhana Heeramun disclosed that they are currently concluding the case. The prosecutor affirmed, ‘All information received by the police is being pursued. Forensic reports have also been obtained. Upon completion of this investigation, the court will be notified of the trial venue. The State’s request today is for a postponement until 15 July.’
When questioned about Joshlin’s whereabouts and whether she had sold her daughter, Kelly responded, ‘I don’t know, ask Boeta [Appollis], and no I didn’t sell her.’ Appollis, in turn, claimed he ‘didn’t know anything.’
Expressing disappointment over the postponement, Joshlin’s paternal grandmother, Lauretta Yon, remarked, ‘I was hoping we would find out where Joshlin is. Now we have to wait for another two months to go back to court.’
Lauretta shared that she visited Smith in jail on 4 May, imploring her to disclose information about Joshlin.
‘I asked Kelly when I visited her on that Saturday to talk or else she is going to be locked away for a long time. ‘Where is your child?’ I asked, and she maintained she didn’t know. She insisted that she was not part of this. Her mood was very cool.’
‘I only heard [today] that she was pregnant. I didn’t see that when I visited her; I was late for court, so I couldn’t see that.’
‘She wanted to know why I didn’t bring her young daughter. I told her that I don’t want her to visit her in jail. Joshlin’s father came from Springbok on Sunday night; he is not talking to us about how he feels,’ Yon said.
Dad Jose Emke declined to comment about his daughter’s disappearance, only stating: ‘I am not feeling well, I don’t want to talk.’
The group will remain in custody and is expected to be back in court on 15 July.
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Picture: Theo Jeptha / Gallo Images
