Kelly Smith, the mother of the missing Joshlin Smith, was in tears following her bail hearing in the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on 13 March. Pictures: X via @Netwerk24 and Supplied
In a startling new statement by the National Prosecuting Agency (NPA), new leads have surfaced as to the whereabouts of the six-year-old Joshlin Smith who has been missing for more than three weeks.
The words were spoken against the chaotic backdrop of a violent clash between police and Saldanha residents outside the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court as the four accused in Joshlin’s disappearance case appeared for their bail hearing on Wednesday, 13 March.
The case was postponed until 13 May for further investigation.
“Concerning the ongoing investigation, the NPA informed the court that we have received additional information, particularly regarding the child’s whereabouts. Investigators should follow up on that,” Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said.
Meanwhile, it is claimed that two more suspects are in police custody for questioning.
Saldanha Bay ward councillor Vernon Vraagom, who has been tirelessly searching for the missing girl alongside scores of other residents, told IOL that the community feels the police aren’t “keeping them updated”.
“We feel they should inform us about what happened to Joshlin and what the way forward is,” Vraagom said.
There are two [suspects] in protective custody and the community feels that they should be questioned.
The police, however, remained tight-lipped about whether they are questioning more suspects.
On Monday, Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie only confirmed that the search for Joshlin continues “indefinitely”.
He added: “Be advised that the case is regarded sub judice as four accused already appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court last week in connection with the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, who is still missing.”
ALSO READ: Polygraph tests and chilling confessions: ‘Kelly would never sell Joshlin for money’
Wednesday marked 23 days since the green-eyed girl’s disappearance which gripped the nation and made international headlines while frantic searches continue from the early hours to late at night.
Joshlin’s mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis, close friend Steveno van Rhyn and alleged sangoma Phumza Sigaqa made their second court appearance after they were charged with human trafficking and kidnapping last Thursday.
The Grade 1 Diazville Primary School pupil mysteriously vanished from the Middelpos informal settlement on 19 February.
Kelly, who confessed to being a tik (crystal meth) user, left her daughter in the care of Appollis when she went to work on that fateful Monday morning.
On her return to the couple’s tin and wooden shack at around 5pm, Joshlin was missing. Appollis denies any involvement in her disappearance, claiming that the last time he saw her was when she went to play outside.
ALSO READ: WATCH: A quarter button and ‘sakkie’ tik while Joshlin Smith vanished into the night
During court proceedings, charges were withdrawn against Sigaqa, the alleged Middelpos sangoma who appeared last week in the dock in a scarlet red gown and pyjamas.
Senior advocate Aradhana Heeramun, who appeared for the state, alleged last week that Kelly instructed Appollis and Van Rhyn to sell Joshlin to another Middelpos man for R20 000 for muti.
The two men apparently made this chilling confession after a 36-hour interrogation at Saldanha Police Station.
ALSO READ: Muti murders in SA: Has Joshlin Smith fallen prey to ‘occult economy’?
It was also alleged that Sigaqa was the sangoma to whom Joshlin was sold. The previous charges have been dropped due to a lack of evidence.
“After further investigation, there is at this stage insufficient evidence against accused number four [Sigaqa],” Ntabazalila said.
The legal representatives of Kelly, Appollis and Van Rhyn told the media that all three abandoned their bail requests.
ALSO READ: Joshlin Smith: Husband of alleged sangoma claims cops ‘tortured’ her in front of kids
Magistrate Yolisa Sikhoyo postponed the case until 13 May for further investigations. Meanwhile, the state is awaiting the data analysis of the cellphones of the three accused.
“Investigators must also obtain witness statements and conduct data analysis on their [the three accused] cellphones. The NPA’s position is that if the three accused later come to apply for bail, the NPA will oppose it,” said Ntabazalila.
And what about the outstanding results of the DNA analysis of bloodstained clothes, a knife and a sheet found in an open field about a kilometre away from Joshlin’s home the Saturday before last?
“Forensic evidence is still being investigated, so SAPS [South African Police Force] cannot comment on this. SAPS cannot rule out further arrests, adding that if more arrests are necessary, so be it,” Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Reagen Allen said.
ALSO READ: WATCH: A quarter button and ‘sakkie’ tik while Joshlin Smith vanished into the night
According to Allen, a 29-year-old police constable had to be rushed to hospital on Wednesday with blood streaming from her face after she was pelted with stones by angry community members chanting “We want Joshlin” and brandishing placards at the court.
The police resorted to the use of teargas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd attempting to force their way into court by removing a barbed wire barricade.
The tense standoff was sparked by the removal of Patriotic Alliance (PA) influencer Ashley Sauls from the media contingent covering the case.
The TikTok political influencer also known as “Oom Biza van die Kaap” was granted permission to record court proceedings for the video-sharing platform last week.
The riled-up residents also accused members of the SAPS of being passive and uninterested during the ongoing search for Joshlin.
Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said police have opened a public violence investigation, but no arrests have been made yet.
According to Netwerk24, Kelly was assaulted shortly after her arrival last Thursday at Cape Town’s notorious Pollsmoor Prison.
The publication heard from various independent sources in the Department of Correctional Services, as well as at the prison, that the 33-year-old mother was beaten up in the women’s awaiting-trial section by fellow remand prisoners.
Following the incident, Kelly was apparently immediately placed in a single cell with only senior wardens allowed access to her.
Since Joshlin’s disappearance, Kelly came under fire from community members that she displayed little concern as to the whereabouts of her daughter.
So much so that their initial sympathy quickly turned into blame with the mother and her boyfriend of two years forced to hide with the help from a benefactor from enraged community members at Saldanha Bay’s Hoedjiesbaai Hotel at the time of their arrest.
NOW READ: Western Cape’s missing girls: What about all the other Joslin Smiths out there?
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