South African woman sentenced to life imprisonment for selling her daughter in shocking trafficking case

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

Racquel Chantel Smith, also known as Kelly Smith, received the sentence alongside her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend, Steveno van Rhyn.

The trio were convicted of human trafficking and kidnapping. Each was handed a life sentence for trafficking and an additional 10 years for kidnapping.

Judge Nathan Erasmus delivered the verdict in Saldanha Bay, a town on South Africa’s west coast.

Due to intense public interest, the trial was moved to a local sports center to accommodate community members, according to Africanews.

Smith’s daughter, Joshlin, disappeared in February 2024, prompting a nationwide search.

Initially believed to be a victim herself, Smith garnered widespread sympathy, with neighbors and community members joining police in the hunt for the missing child.

Photos of Joshlin—smiling with her hair in pigtails—were circulated widely during the search effort.

But the investigation took a grim turn when Smith was arrested.

During the trial, a witness testified that she admitted to selling Joshlin for approximately $1,000 to a traditional healer who allegedly wanted the child for body parts.

While the court did not confirm who the child was ultimately sold to or what exactly happened to her, the judge concluded that she was trafficked for slavery or practices resembling slavery. Joshlin remains missing to this day.