Mom of six-year-old girl who disappeared last year is convicted of selling her for her ‘eyes and skin’

The mother of a six-year-old girl who disappeared last year has been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking charges after selling her for her “eyes and skin.”

Kelly Smith, whose daughter Joshlin Smith vanished from their Saldanha Bay home in February 2024, was found guilty on Friday, May 2, of human trafficking and kidnapping, per Reuters.

Her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and friend, Steveno van Rhyn, were also convicted of the same charges.

Smith’s conviction came amid gut-wrenching testimony and explosive allegations that she had orchestrated her own daughter’s disappearance in exchange for cash.

BBC News reports that Smith cried as her guilty verdict was read aloud, while courtroom observers applauded the decision.

According to AP News and BBC reports, prosecutors alleged that Smith planned to sell her daughter to a “sangoma,” or traditional healer, who was interested in the child’s distinctive features — her fair skin and turquoise eyes.

One neighbor, Lourentia Lombaard, testified that Smith confessed her horrifying plan just before Joshlin vanished.

“I did something silly. I sold my child to a sangoma,” she told the court. Lombaard claimed she also witnessed Smith packing Joshlin’s clothes into a black bag before meeting with a woman believed to be the healer.

She further alleged that Smith offered money to her and others in exchange for their silence, according to the BBC.

Another neighbor, Paulina Tshosa, described a violent encounter the night before Joshlin went missing.

She testified that she saw Smith dragging the little girl into a shack during an argument. “Joshlin lost a flip-flop in the struggle,” Tshosa said — a detail that stuck with her only after seeing Joshlin’s face in the media days later.

During the trial, Smith’s defense team attempted to undermine Lombaard’s credibility by painting her as a drug user. But under cross-examination, Lombaard stood by her statements, admitting to drug use but refusing to retract her account.

Even more chilling, Joshlin’s teacher testified that when she asked Smith where her daughter had gone, the mother claimed to have received a phone call saying Joshlin was “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa.”

That same claim resurfaced in Smith’s conversation with the teacher, reinforcing suspicions that the child may have been trafficked internationally.

Despite extensive searches involving police, firefighters, and specialized dog units, Joshlin has not been found.

The BBC previously reported that a woman believed to be the sangoma had been arrested during the investigation but was released due to lack of evidence.

Outside the courthouse, emotions ran high. Crowds of supporters gathered, many chanting, “We want Joshlin back,” as the case continues to devastate the local community.

Smith, Appollis, and van Rhyn now face the possibility of life in prison. All three pleaded not guilty.