Joshlin Smith Trial Adjourned as Mother Claims Illness During Testimony

KEY POINTS

• Trial paused after accused mother, Kelly Smith, claimed nausea during testimony about her alleged indifference during the search for her missing daughter, Joshlin.
• Investigator revealed Smith prioritized breakfast over aiding police, stating she smiled and said “Joshlin made me famous” days after the disappearance.
• Case highlights South Africa’s missing children crisis, with 225 of 697 reported cases in 2023/24 still unresolved.

The high-profile trial of Raquel “Kelly” Smith and Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis—accused in the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith—was abruptly halted in the Saldanha Bay High Court on Thursday after Joshlin complained of nausea and rushed out of the courtroom.

The adjournment came as Capt. Wesley Lombard, the lead investigator, recounted disturbing details about Smith’s demeanor during the initial search for her missing daughter.

“She mentioned several times that ‘Joshlin made me famous,'” Lombard testified, describing Smith’s smiling and seemingly indifferent attitude days after the child vanished in February 2024. “I couldn’t understand a mother refusing to give more time to help us find her child. She insisted on leaving to eat at Spur instead.”

A mother’s controversial actions

The court heard how Smith and Appollis allegedly prioritized breakfast over cooperating with police. Lombard, part of the Western Cape’s anti-kidnapping unit, said he sought a second statement but was rebuffed. “She told me they had to go to Spur. It was shocking—no urgency, no grief,” he added.

According to Timeslive, neighbours previously testified that Smith borrowed R200 shortly after Joshlin’s disappearance, contradicting claims she received R20,000 for selling the girl to a sangoma.

Forensic evidence suggests Joshlin was last seen near the family’s Saldanha Bay home, but her whereabouts remain unknown.

Defense attorney Piet van der Merwe challenged Lombard’s account, arguing Smith’s actions were misconstrued. “Stress manifests differently. Why assume guilt over a meal?” he asked. Meanwhile, prosecutor Zelda Swanepoel emphasized the incongruity of Smith’s behavior: “A mother’s instinct is to search relentlessly. Hers was to dine.”

The case has reignited debates over missing children in South Africa, where 697 disappearances were reported in 2023/24—225 still unresolved. Activists outside the courthouse held placards reading “Find Joshlin” and “Justice for the Forgotten.”