Police constable details meeting Kelly Smith on night of Joshlin's disappearance
Joshlin Smith's mother, Kelly Smith and her co-accused were formally charged as the trial got underway on Monday.
Missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith's mother, Kelly Smith, in the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial hearing on 29 February 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
CAPE TOWN - State prosecutors have introduced their first witness in the trial related to the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
The little girl's mother, Kelly Smith and two co-accused were charged with kidnapping and human trafficking after Joshlin went missing from her Middelpos home in Saldanha Bay in February 2024.
Smith and her co-accused were formally charged as the trial got underway on Monday.
A police constable detailed how he met Kelly Smith on the night Joshlin disappeared.
Constable Yanga Gongotha said that Kelly pulled him over after he responded to a complaint of a missing girl in the Middelpos area.
Gongotha said that after Kelly reported Joshlin missing, she took him to meet the other accused.
Kelly told Gongotha that she left Joshlin with co-accused, Jacquen Appolis.
Gongotha said that Appolis admitted he was using drugs with friends, including co-accused Stevano van Rhyn, and left Joshlin to play outside.
The trial continues.
The State is formally charging the accused today for their alleged roles in the disappearance of Joshlin. CP pic.twitter.com/WhorWomnlG
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) March 3, 2025