
Joshlin Smith's traffickers to appeal life sentences
Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking for the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin.
The Section 204 Inquiry to determine whether the state witness Lourentia Lombaard will be granted indemnity from prosecution will also be dealt with.
Their applications will be heard in the Western Cape High Court on 12 and 13 August.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
Operation Dudula and March&March protest in Durban
DURBAN - Members of Operation Dudula and March & March are calling for mass deportations of undocumented foreign nationals. They say government officials found selling fraudulent documents must be arrested and prosecuted. The civil rights groups led a protest to keep undocumented migrants from accessing healthcare services. The two groups handed over a memorandum of demands to the High Court in Durban.

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Missing for 529 days: What's next in the Joshlin Smith investigation?
Western Cape police descended on Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay pursuing emerging information as part of the investigation into the disappearance of seven year old Joshlin Smith. Image: Supplied As police pursue leads in the Joshlin Smith case, the nation awaits potential sanctions against the State's star witness in two weeks. This follows searches conducted in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha on July 25, based on untested information. Joshlin, now seven, disappeared on February 19, 2024, while living with her mother, two siblings, and her mother's boyfriend in a shack in Middelpos While police were tight-lipped on the new lead they were following, they assured the public that Joshlin's disappearance remained a priority in the Western Cape and that the investigation was never closed. 'SAPS teams led by detectives with K-9 members, search and rescue teams, and local police have been scouring an identified area in Saldanha Bay. Whether the ongoing search will yield any success remains to be seen. It is worth reiterating that police have an obligation to follow up and test all information that is brought to their attention,' police said. Jacquen Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn and Kelly Smith were sentenced in May. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Speaking to IOL, Candice van der Rheede, Director and founder of the Western Cape Missing Persons Unit (WCMPU) said this lead is not new. 'We told the investigating officer (the first officer, Sergeant Meyer Milstein Vredeburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit), that Kelly was looking for a portable toilet that week Joshlin went missing. We had a witness come forward, but instead, they treated our witness like a criminal. The witness worked at the site. Kelly asked him where the portable toilets were that had been removed,' she said. WCMPU has been pivotal when searching for missing persons across the Metro and has worked closely with authorities to solve cases. 'We told him, but he ignored it. Why would one be looking for a specific portable toilet?' van der Rheede asked. The shack Joshlin Smith and her two siblings lived in with mom Kelly Smith in Middelpos. Image: Robin-Lee Francke When IOL reached out to police regarding an update after their search, the provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, said: 'There is no new development to report. Joshlin is still regarded as a missing person. All leads and information will be pursued'. During the landmark trial, the State relied on former accused turned state witness, Laurentia Lombaard's testimony to seal the deal. Lombaard admitted to originally being part of the conspiracy after she heard Kelly's plan to sell Joshlin for R20,000.

IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Lawyer tackles eSwatini authorities after being blocked from consulting US criminal deportees
Seasoned eSwatini human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi spoke to IOL on his fight to access the criminals deported from United States. Image: Supplied Seasoned Eswatini human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi has launched a High Court bid to gain access to five "dangerous" convicted criminals deported to the African nation from the United States. Nhlabatsi is challenging the prison authorities' refusal to allow him to meet and consult with the detained men. According to media reports, the deported men intend to challenge their presence in eSwatini. Earlier this week, IOL reported that the deportation of the five hardened criminals, a decision by US President Donald Trump's administration, reportedly took Eswatini citizens and activists by surprise and shock. The United States sent five men it describes as 'barbaric' criminals to the neighbouring Kingdom of eSwatini. Image: X Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Speaking to IOL on Friday, Nhlabatsi said his commentary is limited because the matter is before the courts. 'However, the core of my application is to ask the court to grant me an order to access the deportees. I have been given specific instructions by three US-based attorneys who were representing them back home, and the purpose of my visit is simply to fulfill those instructions,' Nhlabatsi told IOL. 'Last Friday, the prison authorities denied me access, citing that they were still working on facilities or gadgets that would allow the deportees to call home.' Nhlabatsi argued that the actions of the eSwatini authorities were unlawful. 'In my view, this is unlawful because it denies them legal access and representation which is constitutionally guaranteed,' he said. IOL reported earlier this week that the move has also sparked outrage in the small landlocked nation, and fears abound that the criminals may end up in South Africa. The Trump administration announced over a week ago that it would be sending the men who are illegal immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba convicted of child rape, murder, burglary, and being gang members and whose countries refuse to take them back. Speaking to IOL previously, Bheki Makhubu, editor of the monthly news magazine The Nation, said people of eSwatini feel betrayed. 'Essentially, emaSwati feel they were betrayed by the leadership of eSwatini. This move came as a complete surprise and seems to have been arranged and known by only a select few people. This deal feels like an invasion of our country by the US. We feel our leaders have sold our country to Trump behind our backs,' he said. 'This country is nobody's personal property and therefore we're upset and most importantly, afraid. There's a fear that if this is allowed to continue, and it looks like more prisoners are coming, one day we will wake up and find that we've been annexed by another country behind our backs.' Makhubu added that his understanding was that the dangerous criminals are set to spend only a year in eSwatini. Bheki Makhubu, editor of the eSwatini monthly news magazine The Nation spoke to IOL Image: Supplied 'If, as we are told, they are not wanted in their own countries, what will happen to them? Our economy is very small, I doubt they'll want to stick around once free. The next best place to go is South Africa. 'Remember, South Africa is the gateway to the rest of the world and the economy is large enough for them to try and make a living there. So they could also seek to make your country home,' said Makhubu. Earlier this month, IOL reported that the Kingdom of eSwatini has become the focus of regional scrutiny following the arrival of the five foreign nationals deported from the United States and transferred to its correctional system — individuals convicted of serious crimes, including murder and child rape.