The mother of Joslin Smith, a South African who was accused of kidnapping her daughter, has decided to withdraw her request for bail

Introduction

The mother of a six-year-old girl who has disappeared, and who is facing charges of trafficking and kidnapping in South Africa, has decided not to pursue her request for bail. Kelly Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and another suspect, have all retracted their attempts to secure bail.

Outside the court, angry crowds assembled and threatened the trio with violence if they were to be released.

South Africa has been captivated by the case ever since Joslin went missing outside her residence in Saldanha Bay near Cape Town last month.

During the court session on Wednesday, one of the four individuals initially accused in Joslin’s disappearance, Phumza Sigaqa, had her charges dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Local media outlets have described Ms. Sigaqa as a traditional healer or “sangoma.”

In a practice widely criticized, some traditional healers use body parts to create potions, asserting that they can heal ailments or enhance people’s luck.

Before her charges were dismissed, prosecutors claimed that Ms. Smith had instructed Mr. Appollis and another accused individual, Stefano van Rhyn, to sell Joslin to a traditional healer for 20,000 rand ($1,000; £835), as reported by the privately owned Citizen newspaper.

However, prosecutors have stated that there is currently no evidence linking her to the child’s disappearance.

Many protesters outside the courtroom expressed relief at this development, believing that she had been unfairly targeted as a scapegoat, according to AFP news agency. Some demonstrators chanted “free Phumza!” and displayed placards with similar messages.

The atmosphere outside the court was tense, with heavily armed police preventing the crowd from entering Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court using barbed wire and tear gas, AFP reports.

Residents reportedly attempted to throw stones at the police, as per the News24 website.

The disappearance of Joslin has left the community yearning for justice and answers.

Despite extensive search efforts involving drones, the navy, and sniffer dogs, the young girl, who vanished on 19 February, has yet to be located.

Recently, blood-stained clothes were discovered in an open field, and the police have retrieved them for DNA testing.

In a previous statement to The Daily Voice, Ms. Smith expressed her determination not to lose hope in finding her daughter. She said, “My maternal instincts tell me that my daughter is still alive and nearby. We will locate her; I am prepared to search tirelessly. I will comb through every small structure; I will even do it alone if necessary.”

Joslin was under the care of Ms. Smith’s boyfriend before her disappearance. He has refuted any involvement in the incident.

It’s worth noting that a child goes missing every five hours in South Africa, but the majority of them are eventually located.

Reference:

Joslin Smith disappearance: South African mother accused of kidnapping drops bail plea (2024) BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68549974 (Accessed: 15 March 2024).