First witness puzzled by mom’s calm demeanour in Joshlin Smith kidnap trial

The first thing missing child Joshlin Smith’s mother asked her boyfriend, who was looking after the little girl, when police tracked him down is whether he had refilled a gas container.

Police constable Yanga Gongotha, the first witness in the Western Cape High Court kidnapping and human trafficking trial sitting in Saldanha Bay, noted that Racquel Chantel Smith, known as Kelly, did not first ask where her daughter was.

Smith, boyfriend Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn appeared in the dock on day one of the trial on Monday, entering pleas of not guilty.

Due to considerable public interest, a decision was taken to run the trial in a multipurpose centre to accommodate residents who had searched tirelessly for Joshlin — aged six when she disappeared — on February 19 2024.

Gongotha was on duty when a missing child complaint was broadcast. He and a colleague drove to Middelpos and were stopped by two women who emerged from a house where music was playing and people had gathered.

Kelly, he later discovered, said she had arrived home from work and her daughter was missing. She took police to a residence in Tsitsiratsitsi but nobody was there during a search for her boyfriend.

State prosecutor Zelda Swanepoel asked if he had attended to complaints of missing children and he replied they were usually urgent pleas for help. Kelly, however, did not appear too concerned about her child. She appeared to show little emotion.

While the police drove around with Kelly, the court heard, load-shedding started and they went to her aunt’s home in Diazville and got into a quarrel with the occupant.

The court heard they then completed paperwork to register the child as missing 

The two police officials then went back to the police station to collect forms to fill out for the missing child and returned to fetch Kelly at her aunt’s home.

police

The court heard that a friend of Appollis later directed police to a shack which smelt as if the occupants had been “smoking” inside. Kelly immediately asked Appollis if he had refilled the gas tank.

Gongotha was surprised that Kelly appeared to be more relaxed when she saw her boyfriend compared to earlier during the search.

Appollis told police Joshlin was last seen playing outside while he and others were “smoking”.

Police were told by some residents they had seen the child playing but none of the leads were positive.

That evening Kelly slept at her aunt’s house and Appollis at his mother’s as residents in the neighbourhood were upset over the missing child and tensions were running high.

Kelly, giving information on the missing person’s report, said Joshlin was last seen wearing a light blue top and jean shorts.

Gongotha testified a photo attached to the report was provided by Kelly’s aunt as neither she nor Appollis had photos of Joshlin.

The trial continues. 

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