Tears and heartbreak over tragic story of South African girl sold by her mother
SOUTH AFRICA: A video clip of a laughing Joshlin Smith, who was six years old when she went missing more than a year ago in South Africa, left most people in the courtroom sobbing.
It was shown during a hearing in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, ahead of the life sentence given to Joshlin’s mother – a drug addict who is believed to have sold her for money.
Racquel Smith, also known as Kelly Smith, was convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter earlier this month. The 35-year-old mother of three was convicted and sentenced along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn.
Even the court interpreter could not hold back her tears as she translated the victim impact statements into English.
A court official read out those statements first in Afrikaans, the language spoken by those in the impoverished Middelpos informal settlement of Saldanha Bay, where Joshlin had lived.
In their own words, Joshlin’s grandmother, the family friend who had wanted to adopt Joshlin and her teacher spoke of their pain and bewilderment about how she could have been sold by her mother.
