South African woman convicted of kidnapping daughter Joshlin Smith

Joshlin Smith has not been found more than a year after she went missing [Executive Mayor Andrè Truter/ Facebook]

The mother of a South African girl, who disappeared aged six more than a year ago, has been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter.

Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested after Smith’s daughter, Joshlin, went missing from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, in February last year.

Appollis and Rhyn were also found guilty on Friday of kidnapping and trafficking Joshlin. All three had previously pleaded not guilty to to these charges.

Joshlin’s disappearance sent shockwaves across South Africa and despite a highly publicised search for her, she is yet to be found.

During the trial, held in March, prosecutors accused Smith of having “sold, delivered or exchanged” Joshlin and then lied about her disappearance.

As South Africans waited for Judge Nathan Erasmus to deliver his verdict at Saldanha’s Multipurpose Centre on Friday, queues formed outside the building.

Nearby roads had been closed in anticipation of a large turnout, while police officers were deployed in and around the centre.

Smith’s trial captivated South Africa, with witnesses and prosecutors making a number of shocking allegations.

The most explosive came from Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbour of Smith who turned state witness.

Ms Lombaard alleged that Smith told her she had done “something silly” and sold Joshlin to a traditional healer, known in South Africa as a “sangoma”.

The “person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin”, Ms Lombaard told the court.

A local pastor testified that in 2023, he had heard Smith – a mother of three – talk of selling her children for 20,000 rand ($1,100; £850) each, though she had said she was willing to accept a lower figure of $275.

This is a breaking news story – more detail to follow.