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A 100,000 rand ($5,200; £4,100) reward has been offered to anyone with information on Joslin's whereabouts |
South African mother Kelly Smith has been charged with human trafficking and kidnapping after her six-year-old daughter, Joslin, disappeared outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, since 19 February. The four accused, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and two others, appeared in court but were not asked to plead. The prosecution alleges that Smith instructed Appollis and another accused, Stefano van Rhyn, to sell Joslin to a traditional healer for 20,000 rand ($1,000; £835).
A child goes missing every five hours in South Africa, but most are found. The search for Joslin has not yet been completed, despite a massive search operation involving the navy, drones, and sniffer dogs. Bloodied clothing was found in an open field in the area where Joslin disappeared over a fortnight ago.
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Ms. Smith and her co-accused, one identified by local media as a traditional healer, have been remanded in custody until 13 March, when a bail application is due to be heard. They have all said they would apply for legal aid.
Frantic community members searched sewers and pits in the days following the girl's disappearance, and Saldanha Bay Mayor André Truter said an angry mob had been raiding homes and accosting neighbors in search of the child. A 100,000 rand reward has been offered to anyone with information on Joslin's whereabouts.
