Mom said child was 'taken by Nigerian man'

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The eighth day of the Joslin Smith trial continues with chilling witness statements pertaining to the missing girl’s mother, Kelly Smith.

According to their accounts, Kelly is believed to have bragged about wanting to sell her child for a mere R5 000. She also claimed that a Nigerian man had taken the blonde-haired girl and was allegedly trafficked to West Africa.

Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquin “Boeta,” and her friend Steveno Van Rhyn are facing child kidnapping and trafficking charges in the trial taking place at the Saldana Bay multipurpose centre.

Joslin disappeared on 19 February 2024 at her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Diazville.

JOSLIN SMITH TRIAL: WITNESS SAYS KELLY BRAGGED ABOUT WANTING TO SELL CHILD

Taking to the stand, state witness Saldanha Bay resident and local pastor Steven Coetzee recalled a disturbing conversation he had with Kelly Smith months before Joslin’s disappearance.

Coetzee says that Kelly had bragged about allegedly receiving offers from undisclosed people who were interested in “buying” her children.

According to Coetzee, Kelly claimed that “if they came this time and didn’t have the full R20 000, she would settle for R5 000”.

Joslin Smith’s mother Kelly Smith pictured during the trial of the missing girl. The mother is accused of trafficking her child to fuel her drug habit.
Images via TikTok: IOL News

The witness claimed that Kelly then bragged about what would happen once her child was sold. He said: “She assured me that in January or February, Middelpos would look like a movie scene.

He continued: “You will see with your own eyes what will happen in Middelpos, Diazville. It will be like a movie; vehicles, pedestrians, people everywhere. They will search but won’t find anything because I will make the child go far away”.

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‘TAKEN BY NIGERIAN MAN’

Another state witness, Joslin Smith’s Diazville Primary School teacher Edna Maart, claimed that Kelly Smith had confided in her that Joslin was en route to West Africa.

The alleged confession took place a few days after Joslin’s disappearance.

The teacher claims that Kelly had told her “in confidence” that she had received a call from a “Nigerian man” who claimed that he had taken Joslin Smith. The man informed her that Joslin was being stored in a container on a ship.

The man – named “Johan” – allegedly told her told her to “act fast”.