Mother Convicted for Selling Her Child in Disturbing South African Trafficking Case.

Mother Convicted for Selling Her Child in Disturbing South African Trafficking Case.

She blamed it on poverty and desperation, but the court saw it differently.

Kelly Smith, a South African mother, was convicted for kidnapping and human trafficking after selling her 6-year-old daughter, Joshlin, for $1,000 to a traditional healer.

Initially seen as a grieving mother, Smith reported her child missing in February 2024, sparking nationwide efforts to find her.

However, evidence soon surfaced that she had negotiated the sale alongside her boyfriend and another accomplice.

During the trial, a witness claimed Smith had sold Joshlin for her body parts, though the judge did not confirm who the child was sold to or what happened to her.

Smith, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were found guilty and now face life in prison.

The case has sparked outrage across South Africa, with authorities still working to locate Joshlin.