Kelly Smith has been sentenced to life for selling her 6-year-old daughter Joshlin.
The Western Cape High Court has sent Racquel “Kelly” Smith, 35, to prison for life for selling her daughter into human trafficking. She was found guilty alongside her boyfriend and a friend.
The court also gave them each 10 more years for kidnapping, which will run together with their life sentences. Judge Nathan Erasmus said their actions were cold and calculated, adding that drug abuse could not be used as an excuse.
The judge pointed out that Smith showed no signs of guilt or sorrow, calling her behavior manipulative. Throughout the court session, she sat calm and silent, not reacting to the ruling.
When the verdict was read, people in the courtroom cheered loudly. Among them was Joshlin’s grandmother, who wore a t-shirt with her missing granddaughter’s photo.
Girl Still Missing, Search Goes International
Joshlin vanished in February 2024 from her home in Saldanha Bay, a small town on the Western Cape coast. At first, the country stood still — worried and united — as search teams and volunteers tried to find her.
But the story took a disturbing twist after police found that her own mother had sold her to a traditional healer for R20,000, reportedly due to her green eyes and light skin tone.
Even now, the child has not been found, and authorities have widened the search across borders. But as weeks pass, hope of finding her alive continues to fade.
The heartbreaking case has highlighted the growing crisis of child trafficking in South Africa, with over 17,000 abductions reported last year alone.
