No justice until Joshlin Smith is found, says activist
On Friday, Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking in the Western Cape High Court, sitting in Saldanha Bay.
Missing 6-year-old Joshlin Smith. Picture: Western Cape Missing Persons Unit/Supplied.
CAPE TOWN - A gender-based violence activist says the guilty verdict in the Joshlin Smith trial is not justice for the missing girl.
On Friday, Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking in the Western Cape High Court, sitting in Saldanha Bay.
Gender-based violence (GBV) activist and director of the Callas Foundation, Caroline Peters, said it's not justice until Joshlin is found.
"Today's [Friday’s] verdict, guilty on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking, confirms our deepest fears that Joshlin was taken. She was trafficked, and she's still missing. This is not justice, not yet. Because justice means bringing Joshlin home."
Peters said the Joshlin Smith case is not isolated and speaks to the vulnerabilities children face in impoverished communities.
"Children like Joshlin are easy targets. Invisible until they are gone. This guilty verdict must now lead to urgent action. We must demand a full investigation into trafficking networks, and we demand that every effort be made to find Joshlin."
Peters said the Callas Foundation would not rest until Joshlin is found.
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After handing down the ruling on Friday, Judge Nathan Erasmus warned Kelly Smith, Appollis and van Rhyn that they face lengthy sentences behind bars.
Saldanha Bay residents who attended proceedings were seen clapping and cheering after the accused were found guilty.
The Saldanha Bay multi-purpose centre erupted with loud cries of “Justice for Joshlin” after the guilty verdict was delivered.
Before making his ruling, Erasmus told the court that the corroboration of certain details in the testimonies of state witnesses and the confession statements of Appollis and van Rhyn proved pivotal to his ruling.
Erasmus highlighted the testimonies of preacher Steven Coetzee and former accused turned state witness Lourencia Lombaard.
The judge said evidence showed Smith also did not behave like a mother who lost her child after Joshlin went missing.
Erasmus said he was of the view that the state succeeded in proving the accused are guilty.
"On count one, you are guilty of the act of trafficking in persons in relation to Joshlin Smith. On count two, you are also convicted of kidnapping."
The accused will remain behind bars until they appear for sentencing proceedings in the Western Cape High Court on Friday next week.