Shocking new testimony in the trial of Kelly Smith has revealed allegations that her missing six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, was targeted by a traditional healer for her fair complexion and blue-green eyes.
The child, who vanished in February 2024, remains missing as the trial unfolds at a community center in Saldanha.
Smith, along with her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and friend Steveno van Rhyn, has pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.
Prosecutors claim that Smith knowingly “sold, delivered, or exchanged” her daughter and attempted to cover up the crime by falsely reporting her missing.
Disturbing Testimonies Unfold in Court
Among the most explosive revelations came from state witness Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbor of Smith. She testified that Smith allegedly confessed to selling Joshlin to a sangoma—a traditional healer—motivated by financial desperation.
According to Lombaard, Smith admitted, “I did something silly… I sold my child to a sangoma.”
Lombaard further described seeing Smith pack a black bag with Joshlin’s clothes before accompanying the child to meet an unidentified woman. She claims she saw the mother and daughter enter a white car with the woman and drive away, never to see Joshlin again.
The court also heard testimony from a local pastor who alleged that Smith had previously discussed selling her children for 20,000 rand ($1,100), though she was reportedly willing to accept as little as $275. Additionally, Joshlin’s teacher testified that Smith told her the child was already “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa.”
Mystery Surrounding the Role of the Sangoma
On Monday, Lombaard’s testimony took an even darker turn when she stated that the “person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin.”
The details of why a traditional healer would seek a child for such purposes remain unclear. While sangomas are legally recognized under South Africa’s Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007, there have been instances where criminal elements exploit traditional practices for sinister means, including so-called ritual sacrifices and body part trafficking.
A woman suspected to be the sangoma involved was initially arrested alongside Smith and her co-defendants, but charges against her were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Public Outrage and Search for Joshlin
Joshlin’s disappearance sparked a nationwide outcry, with activists and community members demanding justice. Despite an extensive search, there has been no sign of the young girl.
Lombaard expressed regret for not intervening, making an emotional plea in court:
“To whoever took Joshlin, please bring her back alive.”
As the trial continues, authorities remain under pressure to uncover the full truth of what happened to Joshlin. The proceedings are expected to conclude on March 28.
