Social media influencer testifies about Kelly Smith's behaviour after Joshlin went missing
Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn are charged for allegedly selling Joshlin to an unknown woman.
Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly Smith (right), Jacquen Appollis, and Stevano van Rhyn in the Western Cape High Court, sitting in the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre, on 12 March 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
CAPE TOWN - A social media influencer has testified about Kelly Smith's behaviour after her daughter Joshlin went missing.
Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn are charged for allegedly selling Joshlin to an unknown woman.
The accused are on trial for kidnapping and human trafficking in the Western Cape High Court sitting at the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre.
Social media influencer, Shakirah Ganief, on Wednesday told the court that she joined the search for Joshlin a day after she disappeared.
She recalled Smith became rude during a video call on the day Joshlin disappeared when Ganief asked her if her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis could be involved in Joshlin's disappearance.
Ganief told the court she also noticed Smith's hands were dirty, as if she was digging in the dirt when she spoke to her.
She said that Smith never joined any searches for Joshlin and also told her that Joshlin's disappearance had brought her fame.
Kelly Smith has denied neglecting her eldest child due to drug abuse prior to Joshlin’s birth. Smith says she approached social services for help in 2018 because she was homeless at the time. CP pic.twitter.com/GKHJV6SbaJ
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) March 12, 2025