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Joshlin Smith was reported missing from her home in Saldanha Bay in February 2024.
Western Cape Police detectives are in Saldanha Bay in a renewed search for the missing Joshlin Smith.
Police say officers are in the town to investigate recent claims made by a community member regarding Joshlin’s alleged whereabouts.
The child went missing from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in 2024.
Western Cape police say they’ve searched an area in the Middelpos informal settlement at Saldanha Bay on the West Coast in connection with the disappearance of seven-year-old Joshlin Smith.
— SABC News (@SABCNews) July 26, 2025
Three people, including her mother, Kelly Smith, have been convicted and sentenced in connection with her disappearance. Police spokesperson, Andre Traut, says every lead is being seriously pursued.
[WATCH] The Western Cape High Court has sentenced Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn to a life term on a count of human trafficking and 10 years for kidnapping. The judgment puts to a close the Joshlin Smith human trafficking and kidnapping trial.… pic.twitter.com/IAuK9lwIGc
— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 29, 2025
[WATCH] Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi weighs in on the Olorato Mongale murder case and the great work done by the Western Cape prosecutions office, following the sentencing of Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn. The trio were… pic.twitter.com/7HnWAgO9nR
— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 29, 2025
“While no tangible evidence has been found at this stage, every lead is being thoroughly investigated. The case remains open and active with the detective pursuing every piece of information locally and beyond our borders,” says Traut.
He says the South African Police Service (SAPS) urges everyone with credible information to come forward, as no further arrests can be made without evidence.
RELATED VIDEO | Joshlin Smith Trial | Kelly Smith and co-accused found guilty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMMA-zE2kkM
