Latest news with #Joslin
The South African
6 days ago
- Health
- The South African
Death penalty for ultra-violent crimes against our children?
It's Child Protection Week. Let's talk about the death penalty. Or at least talk about holding an emergency referendum on whether South Africa should reinstate capital punishment for – if nothing else – hardcore violent and violating crimes against our children, including kidnapping and trafficking. Child Protection Week is happening at a time when the world's spotlight is once again upon us (as if we hadn't had enough by now) for all the wrong reasons – including the growing rampant scourge of violence and abuse against children (and women) in this country. In just the past month South Africa has been snowed by a spate of unspeakable violent crimes against women and children, reigniting that ancient, divisive, incendiary argument and public debate on capital punishment. And many by now are asking the big overdue question: Is it time to bring back the death penalty? Here are just a few headlines and cases of violent crimes against children in SA that have surfaced, shocked and enraged the nation – and the world – over the past few weeks alone. Last Thursday, 29 May, the Western Cape High Court sentenced Racquel 'Kelly' Smith and her two co-accused, boyfriend Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn to life imprisonment and ten additional years for kidnapping and trafficking Smith's 6-year-old daughter, Joslin. The sentencing comes after, on 2 May this year, the court found Smith guilty of selling Joslin to a sangoma (traditional healer) for R20,000 who was interested in the child's striking green eyes and fair complexion. (Ponder on that…) Joslin Smith is still missing. Of course, if by now Joslin has been (insert worst-case scenario here) Kelly Smith and her co-accused are complicit and culpable in that too. The country was still reeling from the disappearance and hunt for Joslyn when the case of Cwecwe emerged and enraged the nation. On 14 October 2024, seven-year-old 'Cwecwe' was (initially) reportedly raped at her school, Bergview College, in Matatiele, Eastern Cape, while she was waiting for her transport. Thousands of citizens and dozens of celebrities came out in support of the child. 'Justice for Cwecwe' was trending. Unfortunately, the investigation was bungled when the police authorities falsely accused the principal of the school of the crime – which led to the school being deregistered by the Eastern Cape Department of Education before an investigation was completed. AfriForum advocate Gerrie Nel, who is representing the principal of Bergview College, believed the child was raped at a party, not at the school. What's further enraged the country is the fact that the investigation into Cwecwe's case has been dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority, due to 'lack of evidence'. The NPA's announcement on 17 May that no one will be prosecuted for Cwecwe's case has been met with sharp criticism and protests from activists and the public. On the 13 May, eleven-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek went missing after he failed to return home from school. The child's scholar driver assured the family that Jayden was dropped off at the gates of his complex in Fleurhof, Johannesburg while his mother was working from home. Yet, he never made it inside. The following morning, a resident discovered his lifeless, bruised and partially undressed body on a staircase in the complex, just metres from his home. On Saturday 17 May, a large group of angry residents and community members marched to the Florida police station and handed over a memorandum of demands to officials, calling for justice and greater accountability. SAPS Gauteng has said that its investigation into Jayden-Lee's murder is at an advanced stage, though no arrests have been made. Jayden-Lee Meek was laid to rest at Westpark Cemetery on Saturday 24 May 2025. Last Saturday, 31 May, 14-year-old grade 8 pupil Likhona Fose went missing from her home in Braamfischerville, Johannesburg where she lived with her grandmother. The next day, her mutilated body was discovered by a passerby in the veld at Durban Deep, Roodepoort. Gauteng MEC Matome Chiloane dispatched trauma counsellors to Ikusasalethu, the secondary school Likhona attended. The MEC said police are 'still investigating the circumstances surrounding this brutal incident' and extended sincerest condolences to the family and the school community. On Monday, 2 June, a 50-year-old sangoma and 32-year-old mother appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court facing charges of premeditated murder and human trafficking of the mother's two-year-old baby, Kutlwano Shalaba. 'It is alleged that on 10 November 2024, the mother of the child (Kuneuwe Shalaba) took the child to the sangoma (Sebokoana Khounyana) and requested him to kill her child because she was not happy with the gender of the baby and was tired of hiding it from her family,' according to police. Shalaba reportedly poisoned her child to death, the two then buried her body in a shallow grave in Waterpan. The case against a 29-year-old man accused of raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl resumed last month on 22 May in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court, drawing renewed attention to a harrowing ordeal that allegedly spanned several years. The young victim, now four months pregnant, was reportedly assaulted by the accused in December of last year. However, court proceedings revealed that the abuse may have started when the girl was just five years old, meaning the alleged crimes persisted for nearly six years before being reported. The accused is known to the victim's family, with the assaults allegedly taking place during visits to his home. DNA tests are yet to determine whether the suspect is indeed the perpetrator. A shocking incident rocked Cape Town last month where a parolee, who served time for rape, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and raping a nine-year-old girl in Hanover Park. On 20 May 2025, the child was found in the suspect's house, during a frantic search by the community, where she is believed to have spent at least five hours. The accused is alleged to have lured the girl as she walked to her Madrasa (Islamic school) by offering her R20 to buy him milk and return the item to his house. The suspect was sentenced to 25 years in jail for rape and indecent assault in 2008 but was placed on parole in November 2024. The appalling incident has sparked fury among locals, who are demanding answers from authorities as to why a known predator was allowed back on their streets. Heard enough…? Because, plenty more where that came from. That's just tip of the insidious iceberg, folks. And that's just the kids. In an article in IOL yesterday, 2 June, responding to the murders of Likhona Fose and adult victim Olerato Mongale, Jonisayi Maromo wrote; 'South Africa is a dangerous place for women and girls'. Duh, ya think! He quoted the secretary-general of civil rights group #NotInMyName, Themba Masango, who said: 'The murders of Olerato and Likhona are yet another painful reminder that South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman (or child). How many more must die before we collectively say: Enough is enough?' Responding to the conviction of Kelly Smith in an interview with SABC News , Refilwe Mokoena (child safety and protection manager) from the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund said: 'From our perspective, justice has been served, the perpetrators have been held accountable. But children are still so vulnerable in our society and we need further preventative efforts to protect them.' The interviewer then asked: 'Can we really say that justice has been served in this regard when it comes to child safety?' 'A strong message has been sent that crimes against children will not go unpunished. But there are so many incidents similar to Joslin's that don't receive this level of national visibility. For every Joslin, there are millions of others we don't even get to know about,' Mokoena answered. (Did you catch that? She said…'millions'. If she's right, if she's not grossly exaggerating…then we have a BIG fu****? problem, don'tcha think?) 'Children basically are not safe in our country,' Mokoena added. Security analyst Neil de Beer takes a slightly more radical position on how the Smith trial should've ended. In an interview with BizNews TV , former MK agent and security advisor to Nelson Mandela, De Beer (who was also peripherally involved in the police manhunt for Joslin) told journo, Chris Steyn: 'What those people did to that child…if I was a judge I would unequivocally sentence them to hang.' Visibly quivering with rage, De Beer's eyes reddened as he teared and choked up when he said: 'A child. A beautiful little girl…was sold. You took that little girl's life, you should pay for it with your life.' 'But in this country, you don't serve life,' he said. 'In this country, if you murder, you are out in 12. You are out in eight.' 'I'm telling you, if you had a referendum on Monday, to bring back the death penalty, you're going to get an 80% majority.' De Beer's not the only public figure calling for a return to capital punishment. Over the years, leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Gayton McKenzie, has repeatedly called for the return of the death penalty to deal with the high level of violent crime in the country. Back in June 2023, during an interview on The Black Pen podcast, McKenzie said: 'The state must have the right to kill. People argue that the death penalty is not a deterrent. I was a criminal, and I am telling you the death penalty is a deterrent.' He said that having been a gangster, he had learnt that taking out the leader of the gang was enough to stop gang wars. On 17 May this year, McKenzie, who also serves as minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity (GNU), reiterated his position on the death penalty during the launch of the PA's municipal election campaign at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Addressing a crowd of thousands of supporters with a fiery, impassioned speech, McKenzie emphasised the need for harsher punishments to combat the rising crime rates in South Africa. 'Let us bring back the death penalty. If you kill, we must kill you,' he said. In an interview with CNN's Larry King in September 2009, Judge Judy Sheindlin was asked about her thoughts on the application of the death penalty. 'In a clear-cut case, where there is no issue as to whether or not, this was the perpetrator of this atrocity…I believe in my soul that it should be an option,' Sheindlin said. Then King asked the judge: 'Could you sentence someone to death?' She paused, before replying: 'Yes, I could. If…there was no question in my mind that this was the perpetrator…' King interjected: 'You could send him to his death?' Sheindlin nodded confidently and said: 'I could say…'Arrivederci' [Italian for 'Goodbye'].' 'There are certain people who – despite our best efforts and all of God's good work – are wired wrong. You gotta either kill 'em or put 'em away…so that they can't ever hurt anyone else,' she added. Must say, when it comes to hardcore violent crimes against our kids? I'm kinda leaning towards De Beer, McKenzie and Judge Judy on this one. Maybe it is time for a long-overdue, urgent, national referendum on capital punishment for violent crimes against minors? Never mind the special task force investigating 'offensive' social media posts and misgendering online, let's get our priorities straight… In my perfect world, the kids would be a sacred and untouchable red line. A world where our women and children could walk down the street, in the middle of the night – bu**-naked if they so choose – and no one will harm them. Because no one would dare. If we can unite the whole nation so easily behind a football or rugby tournament, why can't we unite the country behind this one simple idea: protect the children, at all costs. Whatever threatens the kids…must be eliminated. And maybe reinstating capital punishment is the only way to end the scourge of violence against minors in this country and restore some sense of safety, security and normalcy in our society, where, as Roger Waters once dreamed… 'Everyone has recourse to the law… and no one kills the children anymore.' Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
'I haunt them': Psychic talks to Joslin's 'spirit'
Paranormal justice expert Kandis Starr has shared another video of her session with what she believes is the 'spirit' of little Joslin Smith, who went missing last year. And this time, the US medium hopes her message will bring 'closure' to the loved ones of the little girl. Last week, Joslin's mom, Kelly Smith, and two others, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, were given life sentences for trafficking the Saldanha Bay girl. Although she has not been found, Kandiss believes the blonde-haired, green-eyed girl is deceased. Kicking off her YouTube video, Kandis Starr revealed that she had developed a strong connection to Joslin Smith's 'spirit'. The US medium has shared several videos of her supernatural encounters, which she believes are with the Saldanha Bay girl. Responding to her naysayers, Kandis said: 'I began this work with one purpose: to give victims a voice. This didnt start as content, it started as a calling. This isn't for clicks, it is for closure.' During a spirit box session – a device that can interpret radio waves – Kandis Starr connected to her spirit guides and whom she believes is also Joslin Smith. 'I'm here, can I talk?' a voice asks the woman. Kandis then gave 'Joslin' the opportunity to take freely, following her mother, Kelly Smith's life sentence last week. A voice said the following… 'Sick mother' 'Fights off that man.' 'I'm hurt, I'm being hurt, I'm just little' 'They have money.' 'Has lied…is a lie' 'They are evil.' When Kandis asked 'Joslin' to share details about her past locations, the voice responded: 'Landfill…the couch' During the session, Kandis Starr also asked the voice if 'Joslin' was behind an eerie court incident. It responded: 'Yes…I haunt them'. Last week, a viral video showed a light flickering in the Western Cape High Court above the heads of Kelly Smith, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn. In the clip, Kelly glances up at the light. According to many social media users, a flickering light indicates the presence of spirits. @rockfairy_0 the fact that steveno even noticed lol.. . . . . . . . .#joslinsmith #truecrime #southafricatiktok #afrikaanstiktoks #news #courtroom #crimetok #missingchild #fyp #truecrime #southafricatiktok #afrikaanstiktoks #news #courtroom #kellysmith #fypシ゚ #meme #darkhumor .#CapCut ♬ Me and the Devil – Soap&Skin Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
01-06-2025
- The South African
Gayton predicts Joslin's mom Kelly Smith will CONFESS in jail
Gayton McKenzie has reacted to the life sentence imposed on Kelly Smith for trafficking and kidnapping her own daughter, Joslin Smith. The Minister of Sport, Art and Culture condemned the Saldanha Bay woman, who has been convicted of being the 'mastermind'. Kelly and her co-offenders, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steven van Rhyn, were sentenced by Western Cape High Court Judge Nathan Erasmus on Thursday. Joslin went missing on 19 February 2024. She has yet to be found. In a Facebook Live over the weekend, Gayton McKenzie reacted to the life sentence imposed on Kelly Smith, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn. A week after Joslin's disappearance, Gayton arrived in Saldanha Bay, where he launched a search party and even befriended the trio. Condemning Kelly, he said, 'There's no mother in this world who will not testify [during court]. No mother will not give information that might get her child back. Kelly is a dark person'. He continued: 'The moment I met Kelly, I knew she was guilty. Not because I'm smart, but because I spent my whole youth in jail. I've met the worst of the worst in life.' Gayton lauded the High Court judge, state prosecutors, and community members for their work in investigating and convicting the trio. He vowed to continue his search for Joslin, who has been missing. He continued: 'I might not have found Joslin, but we found the people who sold her. We're still going to get her; we are not going to stop looking.g 'We haven't found Joslin, but we've found justice for Joslin'. @l_keezy021 Gayton McKenzie talks about Kelly Smith, Boeta Appollis and Steveno Van Rhyn getting life in prison for selling Joshlin #southafricatiktok #joshlinsmith #joslinsmith #kellysmith #cwecwe #latestnews #incaseyoumissedit #gaytonmckenzie #southafricantiktok🇿🇦 #fyp #fypageシ #fypp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – L_Keezy021 Also in the Facebook Live, Gayton McKenzie shared his predictions that Kelly Smith couple soon reveal all. He added: 'She is going to rot in jail….Prison does something to people. Very soon, she will start confessing'. Last month, Gayton McKenzie announced that he officially registered a foundation in Joslin Smith's name. The NGO would assist the families of missing children around South Africa. He shared in a Facebook post: 'The foundation will donate money next week to secure the schooling of the brother and sister of Joslin'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
31-05-2025
- The South African
Famous to infamous: Joslin's mom Kelly Smith shocks the world
Kelly Smith's claim that her daughter Joslin Smith has made her 'famous' has backfired after she made headlines around the world for all the wrong reasons. This follows her life sentence for trafficking the little girl, who went missing last year. According to many publications, the Saldanha Bay mother allegedly sold her daughter to a sangoma for her green eyes, blonde hair, and fair skin. On Thursday, 29 May, Western Cape High Court Judge Nathan Erasmus imposed a life sentence for trafficking and ten additional years for kidnapping on Kelly Smith and her co-offenders, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn. Despite a lengthy eight-week trial and dozens of witnesses, the public has yet to find out what happened to Joslin. During the high-profile court case, the court heard allegations that Joslin had been sold to a sangoma for muti, trafficked by a Nigerian to West Africa, and hidden in an informal settlement. Kelly also declined to testify, despite telling her family members that she would do so. Publications like MailOnline, TMZ, People, New York Post , and The Shade Room picked up the story, sensationally claiming that Joslin had been sold for her green eyes and fair skin. In the comments section, their readers reacted in disgust, calling out Kelly for her merciless and unforgivable actions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by New York Post (@nypost) View this post on Instagram A post shared by People Magazine (@people) View this post on Instagram A post shared by TMZ (@tmz_tv) Kelly Smith's sentencing making headlines around the world, is ironic given her desire to be 'famous'. During the kidnapping and trafficking trial, the court heard how the mother-of-three made shocking comments about her daughter before and after her disappearance. According to the testimony of Saldanha SAPS station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln Sebola, Kelly's behaviour 'concerned' him. He said: 'When she came into the charge office, she was communicating with a SAPS officer whom she knew. She was acting like it was normal that her child was not there. What concerned me was when she said in her own words: 'My child Joslin made me famous'. That made me worry. Especially as a parent'. Similar words were made by fellow witness, community activist, Shakeera Ganief, also known as 'Shakes Warrior'. Shakes said of her liaison with Kelly: 'Something very disturbing took place that day. 'It was the moment the Temple Boys were performing a song for the kids [during a church service for Joslin Smith]. Kelly was busy dancing and having a good time, and she was just on top of the world that day, when she made reference again, Yoh, my kind [child] maak [making] my [me] famous.' Also during the trial, the court heard another witness, Saldanha Bay resident and local pastor Steven Coetzee, recall a disturbing conversation he had with Kelly months before Joslin's disappearance. Coetzee says that Kelly had bragged about allegedly receiving offers from undisclosed people who were interested in 'buying' her children. The witness claimed that Kelly then bragged about what would happen once her child was sold. He said, 'She assured me that in January or February, Middelpos would look like a movie scene. He continued: 'You will see with your own eyes what will happen in Middelpos, Diazville. It will be like a movie: vehicles, pedestrians, people everywhere. They will search but won't find anything because I will make the child go far away'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
29-05-2025
- The South African
'Nothing will bring Joslin back': Family react to life sentence
Family members and the community of Joslin Smith have reacted to the life sentence imposed on convicted traffickers Kelly Smith, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn. But for the grieving grandmothers, there is nothing that can ease their pain of not seeing their granddaughter, who disappeared on 19 February 2024 from her home in Diazville, Saldanha Bay. On Thursday, Judge Nathan Erasmus delivered his sentencing verdict to Kelly Smith, Jacquin Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn in the Saldanha Bay Multipurpose Centre. Erasmus sentenced the trio to life in prison for child trafficking and imposed a ten-year sentence for kidnapping. The sentences will run concurrently. While there were shouts of joy from the community that the offenders were given the maximum sentence, Joslin Smith's grandmothers were heartsore that there was no closure about the missing girl. Kelly's mother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, told the media after the hearing, ' I don't feel that any sentence that they got will bring my grandchild back. 'We are broken, because the children are not together…There is no closure because she [Joslin] is still missing'. Kelly's mom added that her daughter 'deserved' the sentence and had to 'lie in her bed'. Loretta Yon, the paternal grandmother of Joslin, revealed that she had visited the holding cells and had begged Kelly to reveal what happened to the little girl. Kelly maintained that she did not know what happened to her daughter. Josh Emke, Joslin's father, was too emotional to speak about the sentencing, adding that it was 'too soon.' Meanwhile, Saldanha Bay councillor Veronique Pretorius stated that she was 'disappointed' in the sentencing. 'Justice has not been served, where is Joslin? We sit with so many questions that are not answered. A lot of people's names were mentioned, but they have not spoken [to authorities]'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
