By Fasuyi Tolulope Samuel
A South African mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, has been sentenced to life in prison after she sold her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin, for £800 to a traditional healer.
According to reports, the healer intended to use the girl’s light skin and turquoise eyes for ritual purposes. Smith, 35, was convicted alongside her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and her friend Steveno van Rhyn after a harrowing eight-week trial that gripped the nation.
The trio faced charges of human trafficking and kidnapping, and the court drew no distinction between their roles in the crime. Joshlin disappeared in February 2024 from her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town.
The trial revealed that Smith, long battling drug addiction since her teenage years, had become abusive while under the influence. Joshlin had been placed in the care of family friends who hoped to adopt her, but the mother and her relatives blocked the efforts.
Shockwaves rippled across the country when it emerged in court that Smith sold Joshlin to a sangoma — a traditional healer, often referred to as a “soul doctor” — in exchange for 20,000 rand (£800). Further disturbing revelations showed she was even willing to accept as little as £200.
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Neighbor Lorential Lombaard testified that Smith admitted selling her daughter to a healer and was seen packing a bag for the child before getting into a car with a woman believed to be the sangoma.
The little girl’s teacher also recalled a chilling remark from Smith, who allegedly said Joshlin was already “on a ship inside a container, and they were on the way to western Africa.”
Judge Nathan Erasmus delivered the sentence at a community centre in Saldanha to allow local residents to witness the proceedings. Addressing the defendants, he stated: “There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose.”He went on to announce:“On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.”
None of the convicts showed any emotion as the verdict was delivered, despite audible applause from those in the courtroom.
Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, pleaded with her daughter to reveal the child’s whereabouts, saying:“I don’t feel that any sentence they get will bring my grandchild back.”
She added, speaking directly to Smith:“How do you sleep [and] live with yourself?” The young girl’s classmates reportedly still ask after her, unaware of the horrific truth.
Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile vowed that efforts to find Joshlin would not cease.“We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin.
We are continuing day and night looking for her,” he told local media. Despite the convictions, the mystery of Joshlin’s whereabouts remains unresolved, and the nation continues to hope for answers in one of the most haunting cases in recent South African history.
