Witness testifies Kelly Smith angrily pulled Joshlin into shack on night before disappearance
Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and his friend, Stevano van Rhyn, are on trial for the little girl's disappearance.
Kelly Smith, Joshlin Smith’s mother, at the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Saldanha Bay multi-purpose centre on 17 March 2025.Kelly Smith, Joshlin Smith’s mother at the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre on 17 March 2025. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/EWN
SALDANHA BAY - A Middelpos resident in Saldanha Bay has testified that she witnessed Kelly Smith angrily pulling her daughter, Joshlin, into their shack the night before the child went missing.
Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and his friend, Stevano van Rhyn, are on trial for the little girl's disappearance.
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They face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking in the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Saldanha Bay multi-purpose centre.
State witness Paulina Tshosa told the court she saw Smith having an ugly argument with van Rhyn outside their shack the night before Joshlin went missing.
The witness said she was on her way to a hair appointment when she saw the couple arguing before Smith stormed off towards Joshlin, who was playing outside.
Tshosa told the court she reported what she witnessed to police after Joshlin went missing because she saw Smith pulling Joshlin into the shack before hearing a commotion of pots and dishes falling.
Tshosa told the court when she saw a photo of Joshlin after the child went missing, she told her colleague, "This child's mother must tell the truth. This child did not disappear."
The witness is being cross-examined by lawyers for the accused.