Due to 'clerical error', 2 of 3 accused in Joshlin Smith case fail to appear in court
Three accused, which include Joshlin Smith's mother were due for pre-trial hearing on Friday.
(From left) Jacquen Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn, Kelly Smith and Lourencia Lombaard appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrates Court related to the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith on 21 October 2024. Picture: Carlo Petersen/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Two of the three accused in the kidnapping and human trafficking case related to missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith failed to appear in the Western Cape High Court on Friday.
The little girl is still missing after allegedly being sold to an unknown woman in Saldanha Bay in February 2024.
The three accused, which include Joshlin’s mother, were due for a pre-trial hearing on Friday.
Joshlin Smith's mother, Kelly Smith cut a lonely figure in the dock on Friday when she appeared for the pre-trial hearing.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Smith's co-accused, Jacquen Appolis and Stevano van Rhyn, failed to appear because they were still in Malmesbury prison.
"Unfortunately, that did not happen. It was a clerical error that's why we ended up only with accused number three, who’s the mother, but we will ensure when we come back on the 28th [of February] that all three accused are present in court."
Ntabazalila said the case would also be moved back to the Saldanha Bay area when the matter goes to trial.