South African mother gets life imprisonment for daughter trafficking

South African mother gets life imprisonment for daughter trafficking

A South African court sentenced a mother and two accomplices to life in prison on Thursday for smuggling her then 6-year-old daughter. This case has received national attention since the child disappeared last year.

The convicts and their crime

Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and her boyfriend Steveno Van Rhyn were sentenced for the kidnapping and human trafficking of little Joshlin Smith, who disappeared from a town in the Western Cape province.

Shocking statements in the courtroom

During the trial that shocked the country, a witness testified that Kelly Smith confessed that she had sold her daughter to a sangoma, a traditional healer, for 20,000 rand (about $1,100). The reason for the sale was the alleged attraction to the daughter because of her “eyes and skin”.

The Search for Joshlin Smith

Joshlin Smith has not yet been found despite extensive police searches. The little girl's disappearance raises many questions and remains a dark chapter in South African society.

Judgment and judicial assessment

In handing down their sentences, Judge Nathan Erasmus said Kelly Smith, Appollis and Van Rhyn's drug addictions were not a mitigating factor. “There is nothing I can find that justifies a sentence less than the harshest I can impose,” said Erasmus.

Additional prison sentences for kidnapping

The three convicts received an additional ten years in prison for the kidnapping. The ruling underlines the strong measures that must be taken against human trafficking and child abduction to ensure the safety of children in South Africa.