“Eyes and Skin”: South African Mother Jailed for Trafficking 6-Year-Old Daughter to Traditional Healer

iNewsAfrica | Cape Town Bureau | June 5, 2025

A South African mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of selling her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, to a traditional healer for use in ritualistic practices. The child has not been found since her disappearance in February 2024.

• Victim: Joshlin Smith, 6, missing since Feb 2024

• Convicted: Racquel Smith (mother), Jacquen Appollis (boyfriend), Steveno van Rhyn (friend)

• Sentence: Life imprisonment for trafficking and kidnapping

• Motive: Sold for R20,000 to traditional healer allegedly for child’s “eyes and skin”

• Judicial remark: “Callous, unrepentant, and manipulative”

Saldanha Bay, South Africa  – In a case that has shocked South Africa and drawn international outrage, 34-year-old Racquel “Kelly” Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Cape Town High Court for trafficking her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, to a traditional healer for use in alleged ritual killings.

Joshlin disappeared from her home in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, in February 2024. Her remains have never been found.

Judge Nathan Erasmus described Smith’s actions as “cold, calculated, and completely devoid of remorse.” Testimonies revealed that Smith sold the child for R20,000 (approximately $1,100) to a sangoma who allegedly sought the child’s body parts—specifically her eyes and skin—for traditional medicine.

Smith’s boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend, Steveno van Rhyn, were also convicted and handed identical life sentences. All three have been added to South Africa’s Child Protection Register.

A neighbor testified that Smith confessed to selling Joshlin and attempted to bribe them into silence. A local pastor also recalled chilling conversations in which Smith spoke openly about selling her children for financial gain.

Authorities continue the search for Joshlin, now believed to possibly be trafficked across borders. Police have expanded investigations beyond South Africa, with public appeals for information still active.

The case has reignited national debates over the country’s child trafficking crisis. Recent police records show over 17,000 reported cases of child trafficking and kidnapping in the 2023/2024 financial year.

“The justice system has spoken, but until Joshlin is found, our hearts remain heavy,” said a local child advocacy group, calling for stronger protections and social interventions to prevent such atrocities.