A South African woman is sentenced to life in prison for selling her young daughter

A South African woman has been sentenced to life in prison for selling her 6-year-old daughter, in a case that shocked the nation.

Kelly Smith, whose full name is Racquel Chantel Smith, was sentenced alongside her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend, Steveno van Rhyn. All three received life sentences for human trafficking and an additional 10 years each for kidnapping. The sentences were handed down by Judge Nathan Erasmus in Saldanha Bay, a town on South Africa’s west coast, where the trial was moved to a local sports center to allow the community to attend.

Joshlin, Smith’s daughter, went missing in February 2024, sparking a nationwide search. Initially, Smith was seen as a victim, with many community members rallying to help police search for the young girl near their poor neighborhood close to Saldanha Bay. A photograph of Joshlin, smiling with her hair in pigtails, was widely broadcast across South Africa during the hunt.

However, the case took a dark turn when Smith was arrested. During the trial, a witness testified that Smith admitted to selling her daughter, along with the two men, for about $1,000 to a traditional healer who sought the child for her body parts.

The judge’s verdict did not clarify who the child was sold to or what exactly happened to her but confirmed she was sold for slavery or practices akin to slavery. To this day, Joshlin remains missing.

.