A South African woman has been sentenced to life in prison for selling her six-year-old daughter to a traditional healer who allegedly intended to use the child’s skin and eyes for ritual medicine.
Racquel “Kelly” Smith, 35, was convicted alongside her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend, Steveno van Rhyn. All three received life sentences for human trafficking, along with an additional 10 years for kidnapping.
Raquel’s daughter, Joshlin, went missing in February 2024, sparking a nationwide search. Local residents joined forces with police, volunteering to search the sand dunes near their impoverished settlement of shacks close to Saldanha Bay, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cape Town.
Despite an extensive nationwide search since her disappearance, Joshlin’s body has yet to be found.
Initially seen as a grieving mother, Raquel later became a suspect after a key witness testified that she had admitted to selling her daughter for 20,000 rand (approximately $1,100) to a sangoma, or traditional healer.
Judge Nathan Erasmus handed down the sentences at a sports center in Saldanha Bay to allow members of the public to attend.
His ruling stopped short of identifying the buyer or detailing the child’s fate but confirmed that Joshlin was sold into slavery.
The verdict comes after an intense eight-week trial that gripped South Africa.
Although the trial has ended, police said the search for Joshlin’s body continues: “We will not stop until we uncover the truth about Joshlin’s fate. Our search continues around the clock,” Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said.
