South African court convicts mother of trafficking her 6-year-old daughter
By Siyanda Mthethwa
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African court found a mother and two accomplices guilty on Friday of kidnapping and trafficking her 6-year-old daughter, in a case that gained nationwide attention since the child went missing last year.
Joshlin Smith, then 6, disappeared from her home in the small town of Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, in Western Cape province on February 19, 2024 and a nationwide search began. She has not been found.
Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were accused of selling the child for a fee. A judge at the Western Cape High Court found all three guilty of kidnapping and trafficking on Friday.
"The conduct of ... Ms Smith is not that of a concerned parent. And why not? In my mind the only inference is that you knew (what happened)," said Judge Nathan Erasmus on Friday, addressing Smith, who sat in the courtroom but did not speak.
In a case that shocked South Africa, one of the witnesses had said in court that Smith told her she had sold her daughter to a sangoma, or traditional healer, for 20,000 rand ($1,100) and that the girl was desired for her "eyes and skin".
The judge did not say in his ruling who the girl was sold to or why.
The three convicted will be remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
($1 = 18.3833 rand)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mexico's president denies Reuters report on US push to investigate narco politicians
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday denied a Reuters report about the U.S. pushing Mexico to investigate politicians with suspected links to organized crime. Sheinbaum, in her daily press conference, called the story "fake news" and questioned the timing of the story, which was published the morning Sheinbaum met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. "Don't you find it strange that when we were in the meeting, a story came out from, I think it was Reuters, saying that they were asking us to give names of Mexican politicians... There's nothing more false than that," Sheinbaum said. The story published on Wednesday, based on four sources, said the request had been raised at least three times by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team in bilateral meetings and conversations with Mexican officials. The U.S. asked that politicians suspected of being tied to the cartels also be potentially extradited to the United States if there are criminal charges to answer there. "We stand by our reporting," a Reuters spokesperson said. The Reuters story did not assert that Mexico had been asked to hand over names of Mexican politicians, but that the U.S. had pressured the Mexican government to investigate current elected officials, even if they were from the president's own Morena party. A crackdown - potentially targeting high-ranking elected officials while they are in office - would mark a dramatic escalation of Mexico's efforts against drug corruption. But it carries political risks for Sheinbaum, as some of the allegations involve members of her own party, a member of her security cabinet told Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine if the U.S. had provided Mexico with a list of politicians suspected of links to organized crime, or evidence against them. Nor was Reuters able to independently confirm if any individuals flagged by the U.S. had engaged in any wrongdoing.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Prosecutors told to prioritize, publicize cases tied to Trump immigration protests
(Refiles to drop word offices from paragraph 2) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize criminal prosecution of protesters who destroy property or assault law enforcement, and to make sure every case they bring gets publicized, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The email, which was sent to all 93 U.S. Attorneys, comes a week into a wave of protests that started in Los Angeles and have spread to other major cities against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Trump has dispatched some 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they are needed to back up immigration raids. "There should be no bottleneck of referrals for complaints and legal process," wrote Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh. "Push out press releases whenever you file charges in these matters," he said. "We will not stop enforcing the law and we will not be deterred from keeping our districts safe." U.S. Attorneys prosecute a wide range of federal crimes, ranging from drug trafficking to white collar crimes, and some of the busiest offices can bring hundreds of cases per year, though the volume varies widely. Lower level cases are not as frequently publicized in press releases. Democrats -- particularly California Governor Gavin Newsom -- have accused the Trump administration of escalating the tensions by sending in troops that local officials have not called for, comparing his actions to that of an authoritarian regime. Street protests have since broken out in U.S. cities across the country in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, including New York, Chicago, Washington and San Antonio, Texas. 'As we've said repeatedly, the Department respects the right to peacefully protest & assemble to engage on important issues," a DOJ spokesman said in a statement. "However, the Department and its 94 US Attorney Offices will not tolerate unlawful violence & destruction of property. We are prepared to respond accordingly.' On Wednesday, two Los Angeles men who were participating in protests were charged by federal prosecutors with possessing Molotov cocktails, while several others were charged with assaulting a federal officer. The FBI said this week it was setting up a tip line to collect "evidence of violence associated with opposition to immigration enforcement" and published images of a Compton, California, man whom it alleged is a fugitive from justice who assaulted a federal officer. On Thursday, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles said on X that his office has charged another protester with conspiracy to commit civil disorders, after the man allegedly distributed face shields to "suspected rioters." In his email, Singh told prosecutors that having merely one or two assistant U.S. attorneys on standby to handle such cases is "insufficient," and that all employees from both the U.S. Attorneys' offices and the Criminal Division "should be on standby."
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Legal win for son tricked into moving to Africa by parents
A teenager who was tricked into going to boarding school in Africa has won a significant legal victory against his own parents. The 14-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, was taken from London to Ghana in March 2024 after being told a relative was ill. In fact, his parents wanted to get him out of London as they feared he was being drawn into criminal activity. Unhappy and homesick in Ghana, the boy found lawyers and brought a case against his parents to the High Court in London, which ruled against him in February. On Thursday, he won his appeal, so the case will be reheard. The most senior judge in the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, said there had been confusion in the previous decision. "We have become more and more concerned as to the exercise the judge undertook," he added. "For those reasons - we are agreed remittal should be allowed." He urged the family to find a solution through constructive dialogue. At the hearing, the boy's barrister, Deirdre Fottrell KC, said he is "desperate" to return to the UK. "He is culturally displaced and alienated," she said. "He considers himself abandoned by his family. He feels he is a British boy, a London boy." The boy remains in Ghana and has been attending a day school there. His solicitor, James Netto, described the appeal ruling as a "hugely significant" decision that would "resonate across international family law." He said: "We are very pleased indeed that the Court of Appeal has allowed our client's appeal, and has recognised the critical importance of listening to and assessing the voices of young people at the heart of legal proceedings that profoundly affect their lives." The parents' barrister, Rebecca Foulkes, said that staying in Ghana was the "least harmful" option for the boy. "The parents found themselves in a wholly invidious decision when they made the decision they made," she said. "Ghana provided a safe haven, separate from those who exposed him to risk. "The least harmful option is for him to remain in Ghana." The case centres on the question of parental responsibility, and whether the parents acted unlawfully by sending their son to boarding school without his consent. The boy previously told the court that he felt like he was "living in hell". He said he was "mocked" at the school in Ghana and "could also barely understand what was going on". During the previous judgement, High Court judge Mr Justice Hayden said the parents' wish for their son to move to Ghana was "driven by their deep, obvious and unconditional love". He found that the boy, who had lived in the UK since birth, was at risk of suffering greater harm by returning to London. He said that the boy's parents believe "and in my judgement with reason" that their son has "at very least peripheral involvement with gang culture and has exhibited an unhealthy interest in knives". Sir Andrew said the case will now be reheard by a different judge, with the next hearing planned to take place in the next few weeks. A full decision will be given in writing at a later date.
