Western Cape police have made another arrest in relation to the disappearance of 6-year-old Joshlin Smith, bringing the total number of arrested individuals to five. The 32-year-old woman is set to appear in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie, the woman was apprehended on Friday and is facing charges related to human trafficking and kidnapping.
While this recent arrest is significant, Pojie emphasized that the possibility of additional suspects being apprehended has not been ruled out as the investigation progresses.
Four individuals, including Joshlin’s mother Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, Steveno Van Rhyn, and Phumza Sigaqa, have already made their second appearance in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court. They are facing charges of trafficking a person and kidnapping.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that the accused had abandoned their bid for bail. The state also confirmed its intention to withdraw charges against Sigaqa, who is suspected of being a sangoma.
Sigaqa, who expressed her fear and embarrassment following her arrest, has gone into hiding due to the negative perception of her in the community. She stated that she is now seen as the sangoma involved in the trafficking of Joshlin.
The court has postponed the case to the 13th of May to allow for further investigation and the acquisition of cellphone data. Despite the ongoing efforts, there is still no sign of Joshlin Smith, nearly a month after her disappearance from Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape while under the care of her mother’s boyfriend.
Her clothes, allegedly stained with blood, were discovered in an open field during random searches conducted late over the weekend.
The items were sent to a forensic laboratory for DNA analysis.
