A courtroom witness claimed a South African parent sold her young child to a traditional healer seeking specific physical traits — a chilling detail that emerged weeks before the woman was sentenced to life in prison.

Racquel “Kelly” Smith has been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith. The sentencing was delivered on May 29, 2025, by Judge Nathan Erasmus, following an eight-week trial that drew nationwide attention.

Joshlin disappeared in February 2024 from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town. Despite widespread search efforts, the child has not been found. According to South African prosecutors, Joshlin was sold into slavery. However, this claim was not conclusively proven during the court proceedings.

Racquel, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were all convicted and sentenced.

Judge Nathan Erasmus stated, “On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. Because I’ve imposed life imprisonment, there’s no need for me to rule on the concurrency of the sentences because by operation of law, it will be served concurrently.”

The courtroom reacted with loud applause after the sentences were announced. The judge clarified that he had made no distinction between the roles of the three individuals involved.

Both of Joshlin’s grandmothers attended the hearing. Her paternal grandmother, Rita Yon, expressed sorrow that both sides of the family had lost Joshlin.

Her maternal grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, acknowledged the emotional weight of seeing her daughter imprisoned for life. “It is not the nice thing for my child to sit in jail for the rest of her life, but she did something wrong, so she must deal with the consequences [sic],” said Amanda.

During the high-profile trial leading up to the sentencing of Racquel, new and disturbing allegations were revealed in court.

The trial, which began in early March 2025 and was held at the Multi-Purpose Centre (MPC) in Saldanha Bay, delved into the events surrounding the disappearance of the young girl. Her mother, along with Jacquen and Steveno, pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.

The court heard that the South African mom initially claimed the child had disappeared while in the care of Jacquen. Prosecutors later accused Racquel of having “sold, delivered or exchanged” her daughter and of lying about the circumstances of her disappearance.

In the early stages of the trial, it was revealed that Racquel waited more than six hours to alert the authorities after realizing Joshlin was missing. Witnesses testified that she appeared calm during the search and more focused on Jacquen’s whereabouts than on locating her daughter.

The trial took a darker turn in its second week. A local pastor testified that in 2023, Racquel had spoken about selling her children for 20,000 rand each, and was even willing to settle for as little as $275.

Joshlin’s teacher later told the court that Racquel had said her daughter was already “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa.”

These accounts were followed by a dramatic testimony from Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbor who turned state’s witness. Over three days, she detailed her observations leading up to Joshlin’s disappearance.

According to Lourentia, Racquel confessed, “I did something silly… I sold my child to a sangoma.” She added that Racquel had promised money to others who knew of the plan in exchange for their silence.

Lourentia said she had seen Racquel pack Joshlin’s clothes into a black bag before leaving to meet a woman believed to be a traditional healer. The court heard that the woman and the child left together in a white car. Lourentia claimed that Racquel later told her the person who allegedly took Joshlin “wanted her for her eyes and skin.”

No clear motive was established for why a traditional healer would request a child with such features. A woman initially arrested in connection with the case, suspected of being the sangoma, had her charges dropped due to insufficient evidence.

Under South African law, traditional healers — recognized as sangomas — are protected by the Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007. These practitioners are believed to communicate with ancestral spirits to offer guidance and healing, although some have been linked to illegal practices.

Lourentia said she had tried to stop Racquel from going through with the plan and pleaded for Joshlin’s return, stating, “please bring her back alive.”

On February 19, 2025, a year after Joshlin’s disappearance, Executive Mayor Andrè Truter expressed in a Facebook post, “Today marks one year since the disappearance of little Joslin. Sadly, there are no answers forthcoming about what happened to her or where she is. Who are the culprits? We hope that the upcoming trial will give us the answers.”

The mayor also confirmed the municipality’s support for the trial being held at the community center, “I am delighted that SBM Council resolved to allow the Supreme Court to use the Multi-Purpose Centre in Saldanha (at no cost) for the duration of the trial. This brings the Court closer to the Community.”

He concluded by drawing attention to broader concerns, “Even in her absence, Joslin has become a symbol for the multitude of children who continue to go missing every day. Gender-based violence against women and children has reached unprecedented levels, and it needs URGENT attention.”

Joshlin’s case has left a nation searching for answers, even after the conviction of those responsible. As her whereabouts remain unknown, the trial and sentencing highlight the broader crisis of child trafficking and the urgent need for stronger protections for vulnerable children across South Africa.