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Smith claimed Joshlin was being taken to West Africa but refused to go to the police, afraid of consequences in the community.
Kelly Smith during the trial in the Joshlin Smith disappearance case. Picture: Gallo Images / Jaco Marais
In a chilling revelation during the ongoing trial on Joshlin Smith’s disappearance, Edna Maart, Joshlin Smith’s Grade 1 teacher, revealed shocking details about a conversation she had with Kelly Smith, Joshlin’s mother, just days after the child’s disappearance.
Joshlin was six years old when she disappeared from her Middelpos home on 19 February 2024. The case continues on Wednesday in the Western Cape Circuit High Court in Saldanha Bay.
According to Maart, on 23 February 2024, Smith told her that she had received a call from a Nigerian man who claimed that Joshlin was in a cargo container on a boat heading to West Africa. Smith was reportedly told to “act quick” and was warned that her daughter’s life was in danger.
Maart, who was at a petrol station with two colleagues when Kelly got into her car, testified that Kelly wanted to share something confidential.
According to Maart, Smith spoke very softly. She then explained that she had received a call from a Nigerian man who had said she should act quickly.
Maart said she asked Smith how the man knew her cell phone number, but she did not answer. She then mentioned that Joshlin, according to the man, was in a container on a boat bound for West Africa.
When Maart asked if she had informed the police, she responded that she was scared because the local community might harm her.
Kelly then made a puzzling statement: “Remember, Boeta is not guilty,” Maart recalled.
The teacher also recounted the day Joshlin went missing. She said that at around 4pm, she received a message from a parent who said the child was missing. She then called Smith, who was crying, and asked her where Joshlin was and when she went missing. However, she did not answer.
Later, when Maart saw Smith in her car, Kelly told her the details about the call she had received.
Smith’s defence lawyer, Rinesh Sivnarain, stated that Kelly had identified the Nigerian man as “Johan”. However, he did not elaborate on “Johan’s” involvement, claiming the man was a “medium”.
Smith, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn are accused of the kidnapping and human trafficking of Joshlin. The trial continues.
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