A South African mother has been sentenced to life imprisonment for selling her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, to a traditional healer who sought to use the child’s eyes and skin for ritual purposes. Racquel “Kelly” Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn, received life sentences more than a year after Joshlin vanished from outside her home near Cape Town in February 2024.
Initially seen as a grieving parent, Smith had garnered national sympathy as images of Joshlin’s bright green eyes and beaming smile circulated widely. But that sympathy dissolved when prosecutors revealed Smith had sold her daughter to a sangoma (traditional healer) for 20,000 rand (approximately $1,100). According to testimony, the child was targeted specifically for her eyes and skin. Her body has never been recovered despite extensive searches.
Judge Nathan Erasmus, who presided over the eight-week trial, said Smith showed no remorse and described her as manipulative. The trial drew such intense public interest that proceedings were moved to a stadium to accommodate community members. All three accused were also sentenced to an additional 10 years for kidnapping, to run concurrently with their life terms.
Judge Erasmus further ordered their names be entered into the child protection register, declaring, “There is nothing redeeming I can find that warrants anything less than the harshest penalty.” The courtroom erupted in cheers as the sentences were announced.
Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Smith Daniels, attended the verdict wearing a shirt bearing her granddaughter’s image. During the initial search for Joshlin, a government minister had offered a one-million-rand reward for her safe return.
Testimony during the trial revealed that Smith had discussed selling her daughter as early as 2023, according to witnesses including a pastor and a former teacher. Authorities now say the search for Joshlin has expanded beyond South Africa’s borders.
South Africa faces an alarming rate of child kidnappings, with police recording over 17,000 cases in the past year—an 11 percent increase from the year before.
