‘I did it for Joshlin': Woman admits to burning down Kelly Smith's shack

The Citizen

12-05-2025

The accused was granted R500 bail on Monday.
Joshlin Smith's mother, Racquel 'Kelly' Smith, at White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay on 2 May 2025. Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach
The woman accused of setting fire to the shack belonging to Racquel 'Kelly' Smith, the mother of missing child Joshlin Smith, has been released on bail.
Monique Kekana appeared for the second time in the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on Monday.
She faces an arson charge relating to the 2 May incident in Middelpos, Saldanha, where Smith's home was reduced to ashes.
The blaze occurred just hours after Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacques Jacquen 'Boeta' Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and human trafficking in connection to Joshlin's disappearance.
Kekana was subsequently arrested and made her initial court appearance on 5 May.
Arson suspect granted bail over Kelly Smith fire
During the proceedings, the court heard that Kekana had cooperated with law enforcement and handed herself over to the police.
The prosecution also reportedly confirmed that the 27-year-old woman had no prior convictions or outstanding warrants.
The court granted her bail of R500. Her case was postponed to 27 June.
Speaking to eNCA outside the courthouse, Kekana expressed a sense of relief after spending a week at Cape Town's Pollsmoor Prison.
'I was crying even there in Pollsmoor for the week,' she said.
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Kekana admitted to setting Kelly's shack on fire.
'I did it for all the mothers out there,' she said, explaining her emotional state at the time.
'I was very angry, emotional, and that's why I did what I did.'
The mother of two criticised Kelly Smith for not speaking up about Joshlin's fate.
'She knows where the child is and she knows the child is not dead. I just wanted to open her mouth because we are also mothers.
'So I did it because I'm also a mother. I was also arrested, but I learned from my mistake.'
Calls for truth about missing Joshlin Smith
Kekana said there was growing frustration within the Middelpos community over Kelly's silence during her trial.
'They wanted to hear from her because she knows what happened to the child. My message would be to Kelly, she must just open her heart.
'She gave birth to that child [after] nine months. How can you just sell your child just like that? Just for money. How can a mother do what she did?'
READ MORE: Joshlin Smith trial: State relying on witness who fooled three cops – defence
Asked if she had a personal relationship with Smith, Kekana clarified.
'No, not really. I didn't know her. Just by passing by there, when I go to my friends I used to see her there,' she said, adding that she used to see Joshlin playing with other children in the area.
Kekana later told Newzroom Afrika that she was 'a little bit drunk' when she burned down the shack, but expressed no regrets.
'I don't have any regrets because what I did, I did it for Joshlin.'
Joshlin Smith's disappearance
Joshlin Smith was reported missing on 19 February 2024 from her home in Middelpos.
Her disappearance led to an extensive search and months-long investigation, which resulted in the arrests of her mother, Appollis and Van Rhyn.
The trio is due to be sentenced on 29 May.
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