South African Police Service detectives are currently in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, investigating a new tip from a community member about the alleged whereabouts of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith. The development, confirmed by SAPS spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut on Thursday 26 March 2026, comes more than two years after Joshlin disappeared from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement, and nearly ten months after three people, including her own mother, were sentenced to life in prison for her trafficking and kidnapping.
The statement from SAPS is measured and, for those who have followed this case closely, familiar in tone. No tangible evidence linked to Joshlin has been found at this stage. The investigation remains open and active.
What exactly did SAPS say?
In a press statement issued on 26 March 2026, Colonel Traut confirmed that detectives had returned to Saldanha Bay to investigate recent claims made by a community member regarding Joshlin’s alleged whereabouts.
“At this stage, no tangible evidence linked to Joshlin Smith has been found. However, SAPS reiterates that all information received is treated with seriousness and thoroughly investigated,” Traut said.
The statement goes further, offering the clearest public picture yet of just how extensive the search has been. According to Traut, the investigation remains under active review and detectives continue to follow up on all leads until a meaningful conclusion is reached. SAPS confirmed that efforts have extended both locally and abroad.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or report via the MySAPS mobile application.
Who is Joshlin Smith and what happened to her?
Joshlin Smith disappeared on 19 February 2024. The green-eyed girl, who was in Grade 1 at Diazville Primary School, was last seen just after 17:00 at her home in Middelpos, Saldanha Bay.
Her grandmother, Lauretta Yon, described her as a quiet child who was kind, loved music and dancing.
Her disappearance triggered one of the largest public searches in recent South African memory. Volunteers poured into Saldanha Bay. Prayer circles formed. Her photograph, wide smile, brown pigtails and striking green eyes, spread across every social media platform in the country. South Africa was gripped.
A month after she disappeared, police arrested her mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn. A fourth accused was briefly arrested before charges were withdrawn.
What did the trial find, and what was the sentence?
The landmark trial began in March 2025 at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha. On 2 May 2025, Kelly Smith, Appollis and Van Rhyn were convicted on charges of kidnapping and trafficking in persons.
Loud cheers were heard across the hall as the verdict was delivered, while the trio showed barely any remorse.
Judge Nathan Erasmus sentenced all three to life imprisonment for human trafficking, with concurrent terms of 10 years for kidnapping.
“There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose,” Erasmus said.
He described Kelly Smith as manipulative and said she had shown “no indication of remorse” or concern over Joshlin’s disappearance. Their names were entered into the child protection register.
The key that unlocked the prosecution’s case was a woman named Lourentia “Renz” Lombaard. Lombaard, a former co-accused who turned state witness, testified that Joshlin had been sold by her mother for R20,000, a sum intended to be split among the group.
The court heard evidence that Joshlin was possibly wanted by a sangoma for her eyes and skin. Judge Erasmus later granted Lombaard indemnity from prosecution, ruling that she had played no active role in the kidnapping, a decision that drew public criticism from anti-gender-based violence activists who argued no crime involving a child should go unpunished.
The Western Cape High Court has since denied the appeal filed by Kelly Smith and her accomplices, reinforcing the life sentences. The convicted trio remain silent about Joshlin’s actual whereabouts.
That silence is the wall the investigation has not yet been able to break through.
Why has Joshlin never been found?
This is the question that sits at the centre of everything. Three people know where Joshlin is, or was. None of them has spoken.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said after the conviction that police had hoped the accused would give an indication of the child’s whereabouts during court proceedings.
“We thought that some of the accused will speak, but unfortunately, it’s their right not to speak in court and they exercised that right. The case is still open and we will still search and investigate,” Pojie said.
Western Cape Missing Persons Unit founder Candice van der Rheede noted that Joshlin’s case forms part of a troubling pattern, and that there was not much noise being made anymore despite the investigation remaining active.
“We can’t give up because she’s still missing, and we have to continue for her family and for her siblings’ sake,” she said.
As of early 2026, Joshlin has still not been found and her body has not been recovered. SAPS has conducted K9 operations, revisited key areas in Saldanha Bay, and followed up on leads both within South Africa and internationally. None has yielded a breakthrough.
The case has also sparked calls for the involvement of specialised Cold Case Units, given the complexity of the search and the passage of time. A book about Joshlin, titled Joshlin Smith: Echoes of a Missing Child, drew a public petition calling for its cancellation, with critics arguing it profited from the tragedy without the consent of her family.
What does the community say, two years on?
During a recent visit to Saldanha Bay, residents spoke about how the case has permanently altered the town’s sense of safety. Local resident Jocretia Valentine described the lingering fear.
“Things will never be the same in the community. We knew we had our flaws, but now it’s like we cannot trust anyone. We are scared for our own children. While they may be in prison, we keep our faith and pray that Joshlin is safe and found soon,” she said.
For Joshlin’s grandmother, Lauretta Yon, the plea remains what it has always been. Whether the truth is good or bad, the family needs Joshlin home. They need, as she has said, to be spiritually at ease.
Thursday’s development in Saldanha Bay does not change the overall picture of a case that remains painfully unresolved.
