South African mother goes to trial for kidnapping

The mother of a six -year -old girl who disappeared more than a year ago in South Africa was judged accused of organizing her kidnapping.

Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and her friend Steveno Van Rhyn were arrested after Smith’s daughter, Joshlin, disappeared from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape City, in February last year.

Joshlin’s disappearance sent shock waves in South Africa and, despite a very publicly search for it, has not yet been found.

The three declared themselves innocent of charges of trafficking in persons and kidnappings.

Initially, Smith said that Joshlin had disappeared after he left the young woman in the care of Mr. Apollis.

The prosecutors then accused her of “sold, delivered or exchanged” to the six -year -old girl and lied about her disappearance.

Then there was an intense and generalized search for the young woman, but the attention was soon addressed to Mrs. Smith after her friend and former coacked, Lorentia Lombaard, became a state witness, according to the Daily Maverick Daily Maverick news site in South Africa.

His search even attracted the interest of the Minister of Sports Gayton McKenzie, who offered a reward of one million Rand (£ 42,500; $ 54,000) for his safe return.

The trial will be extended from March 3 to 28 at the Saldanha Multipurpose Center, which has been reused in a higher court specifically for the case.

A judge who presided over the case at the beginning of this year explained that the location was selected to “ensure that the community has access to the procedures throughout the marathon trial.