The grandmother of a missing six-year-old girl who is believed to have been kidnapped and trafficked by her own mother made a heartbreaking comment in court.
The whereabouts of little Joshlin Smith remain unknown to this day, more than a year after she vanished in Saldanha Bay, close to Cape Town, in February 2024.
Police say the search for the youngster 'remains active', however, her mother Racquel Smith has now been given a life sentence for her role in her daughter's disappearance.
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The 35-year-old, who has three children, was convicted of kidnapping and trafficking the six-year-old alongside two men following an eight-week trial which began in March this year.
Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were each sentenced to life imprisonment, as well as another 10 years for the abduction of Joshlin.
Harrowing details of what is believed to have happened to the little girl emerged at the trial, which was held at a community centre in the South African town of Saldanha Bay to allow locals to attend the proceedings.
A woman named Lourentia Lombaard took the stand and alleged that Joshlin had been sold by her mother to a 'healer' (also known as a sangoma), for a fee of 20,000 rand (around £800).
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The 'person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin', Lombaard told the court.
Explaining she was a friend and neighbour to Smith, Lombaard claimed that the mum had confessed her crimes to her by informing her she had done 'something silly'.
The court also heard a local pastor testify about once hearing Smith discuss selling her children for 20,000 rand, before saying she would have been willing to accept just 5,000 rand (around £205), as per the BBC.
Smith, Appollis and van Rhyn each refused to take the stand in their defence during the court case.
Judge Nathan Erasmus made no firm conclusions about Joshlin's fate, bar saying she had been sold, but told the convicted trio as he handed out their sentences: "There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose."
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He acknowledged that the three defendants were under the influence of substances when Joshlin disappeared last year, but said they had each 'had enough time to speak and come clean'.
Erasmus also described Smith as 'a person who is manipulative and manipulates the facts as it suits you'.
"[You] went as far as to blame your parents for your conduct in this matter," the judge said. "The evidence presented as to the disappearance of your own daughter was clear.
"Besides on one occasion earlier and yesterday, I saw no indication of remorse, but it didn’t start there because we know from 19 February, 2024, the lack of concern."
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A series of victim impact statements were read out in court, which left the majority of those present in tears.
Joshlin's grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, directly addressed her daughter when sharing her emotional statement, dressed in a white t-shirt emblazoned with a picture of Joshlin.
She now cares for Smith's eldest child, while the youngest of her offspring lives with her father.
In the victim impact statement read out by a court officer, Smith-Daniels asked: "How do you sleep [and] live with yourself?"
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The grandmother also told how she had 'cried her eyes out' on Mother's Day earlier this year, while adding: "You have made our lives hell on earth. I feel like my heart has been ripped from my body. You have broken [this family] apart."
Joshlin's teacher, Edna Maart, also shared a statement, explaining that she struggled to answer daily questions from the schoolgirl's classmates about where she is.
Describing the six-year-old as quiet and 'very tidy', Maart said the class listens to Joshlin's favourite gospel song, 'God Will Work It Out', each morning in tribute to her.
Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant Thembisile Patekile, said 'meticulous investigative work' had gone into the case.
He said: "While no sentence can erase the pain caused by the heartbreaking disappearance of young Joshlin, this outcome offers a measure of closure and sends a powerful message: crimes against our most vulnerable citizens will not go unpunished.
"The search for Joshlin remains active, and SAPS is fully committed to exploring every possible lead in this tragic matter."
He also suggested the search could go beyond South Africa, adding: "We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin. We are continuing day and night looking for her."
Topics: Crime, True Crime, World News, Parenting
Olivia Burke