Joslin’s mom faces court alone in kidnapping case as co-accused miss pre-trial hearing

Racquel “Kelly” Smith, mother of the then six-year-old Joslin Smith, who disappeared from the Saldanha Bay area on 19 February, was alone in the dock in the Western Cape High Court on Friday.

The court heard that her co-accused, Kelly’s boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and the couple’s friend Steveno van Rhyn, was absent from the pre-trial hearing due to an administrative error. The two men have not been transferred from Malmesbury to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town.

The trio is accused of human trafficking and kidnapping relating to Joslin’s disappearance.

Judge Gayaat Da Silva-Salie said the case would be moved to a more central area on the West Coast, closer to Saldanha and the Middelpos informal settlement, from where Joslin went missing. Da Silva-Salie said the community has a vested interest in the case and should be allowed to attend the court proceedings.

In an interview with SABC News, Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the NPA is working on the logistics to move the court to Saldanha. “We will have a demarcation meeting before the next pre-trial hearing on 28 February.”

According to Ntabazalila, the state is ready to proceed with the case, although the investigation into Joslin’s disappearance is still ongoing. “The police are still actively following up on tip-offs from the community.”

Joslin’s disappearance

The 33-year-old Kelly left Joslin in the care of Appollis when she went to do an odd domestic job. She has confessed to being a tik (crystal meth) user.

On her return to the couple’s home at about 5pm, Joshlin was missing.

Appollis denies any involvement in her disappearance. He claims that the last time he saw her was when she went to play outside.

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