The Western Cape High Court has finalised pretrial proceedings in the case of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, who disappeared from Diazville, Saldanha Bay, on 19 February 2024.
WC court finalises Joshlin Smith trial
Her mother, Kelly Smith, along with Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn, stand accused of kidnapping and human trafficking, with allegations that they sold the child to an unknown woman.
Presiding Judge Nathan Erasmus confirmed that the trial will be held in Saldanha Bay from 3 to 28 March, allowing the local community access to proceedings.
The decision follows public outcry and ongoing frustration over the lack of resolution in the case.
While Smith remains in custody, Appollis and Van Rhyn remain detained at Malmesbury Prison after a failed request for their transfer to Cape Town.
The State has outlined its case against the three accused, with key evidence expected from State witness Laurentia Lombaard. Lombaard, once a suspect in the case, has since turned witness and is expected to testify that Kelly Smith planned to sell her children as early as August 2023, with the intended transaction taking place in early 2024.
Court documents allege that on 18 February 2024, a day before Joshlin disappeared, Kelly Smith met an unidentified woman outside her home.
Lombaard claims this meeting was part of the broader plan to exchange the child for money, with Appollis and Van Rhyn allegedly involved in dividing the payment.
On the day of Joshlin’s disappearance, Smith allegedly kept her children home from school, packed a bag of clothes, and left them in Appollis’s care while she went to work. The State’s version of events suggests that later that day, Kelly returned home, took Joshlin and the bag, and left in a white vehicle, which witnesses claim was seen outside the house. That same evening, she reported Joshlin missing, triggering a widespread search effort across Saldanha Bay and beyond.
Despite extensive investigations, Joshlin remains missing.
Previous leads, including bloody clothes found near the bay, proved inconclusive, with DNA tests confirming they did not belong to Joshlin.
The State continues to build its case, with prosecutors hopeful that Lombaard’s testimony will strengthen the case against the accused. There is also speculation that additional arrests may follow as investigators pursue new evidence and witness statements.
As the legal process moves forward, the Saldanha Bay community remains hopeful that answers will emerge and that justice will be served for Joshlin.
