Joslin Smith Trial: Kelly and Co. Berated Amid Middelpos ‘In-Loco’ Inspection, 3rd Witness Testifies
- After nearly a week in the Joslin Smith kidnapping trial, the court ordered an inspection in-loco at Diazville's Middelpos informal settlement
- Explosive testimony from a third state witness, Saldanha Bay station commander, Lt-Col Lincoln Sebola, preceded the inspection
- Incensed residents hurled insults at Joslin Smith's daughter Kelly as she walked court officials through the last place the girl was seen
Source: Twitter
Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist at Briefly News. A Head of Current Affairs, Mametela reported live from the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents and other topics, including sports, at The Herald and Opera News SA, among others.
SALDANHA BAY — A third police officer took to the witness stand to lead more explosive testimony on day four of the Joslin Smith kidnapping and human trafficking trial in the Western Cape High Court.
The matter is sitting at the Saldanha Bay Multipurpose Centre, which has been converted into a circuit court to allow the community to attend the proceedings.
Joslin Smith trial enters 4th day
Notably, on Thursday, 6 March 2025, the trial judge, Nathan Erasmus, ordered an inspection in-loco in Middelpos, which he, the legal counsel and the three accused — Joslin's mother Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn — attended while in shackles.
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Briefly News previously reported that the trio faces kidnapping and human trafficking charges. They pled not guilty at the start of the trial on 3 March.
Joslin has been missing for over one year after disappearing from the Middelpos informal settlement in Diazville on 19 February 2024.
Thursday's court-ordered inspection started at the little girl's home after which Judge Erasmus was taken to various other locations in the community.
In-loco inspections help the court to:
- Understand the evidence;
- Make certain observations;
- Supplement oral evidence with real evidence; and
- Introduce material evidence into the proceedings.
On the witness stand, Saldanha police station commander, Lt-Col Lincoln Sebola, ahead of the inspection in-loco, gave a telling testimony of Kelly's conduct during the search for her daughter.
"She came into the charge office communicating with an officer, whom she [appeared] to know. She acted like it was normal for her child not to be there," said Sebola.
He then mentioned a detail that made him concerned, which Sebola said emerged as she continued speaking with the familiar officer.
"She said in her own words: 'My child, Joslin, made me famous'. That worried me. Especially as a parent," he testified.
The prosecutor did a double-take, at which point she repeated the line before confirming it with Sebola, and he said yes.
Detective Sergeant Meyer Milstein, the first investigating officer on the missing person case, also testified on Thursday.
A Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit investigating officer in Vredeburg, Milstein said his unit stepped in after an initial search by the responding police officers in Middelpos.
He said he briefly interviewed Kelly at her home, where he met Appollis.
"I learnt he [Appollis] was the last person to see Joslin as Kelly had left her in his care. I [then] got a statement from Mr Appollis," said Milstein.
During an initial search, Milstein said police made good on some evidence inside the shack.
"The biology dog pinpointed a pillowcase and a bed sheet. [Detectives] observed what they thought were bloodstains on them. Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) members collected the items. The scene was photographed."
Like with Sebola and the first and second witnesses, respectively, Constables Luzuko Kobese and Yanga Gongotha, Milstein delved into the aspect of Kelly's behaviour.
"She was [seemingly] calm when I spoke to her. She didn't cry during the first interview," he said.
Milstein is expected to resume his testimony from the witness stand on Friday.
During the site inspection, incensed Diazville residents hurled a barrage of insults at Kelly and her-co-accused.
The former seemed to bear the brunt of the verbal abuse during a walkabout through the community alongside law enforcement.
Many implored her to tell the truth while jeering:
"Where is the child? ... Tell the police where Joslin is, you pig!"
Others could be heard saying:
"Your child wants you! Your child is asking for you! Your child misses you!"
Kelly later broke down as she was placed in the back of a police van to be transported back to court following the adjournment amid louder chants.
What you need to know about the Joslin Smith case
- On 24 February 2024, Briefly News reported that search efforts in Saldanha Bay for little Joslin Smith intensified.
- In March of the same year, 15 000 people signed an online petition to deny Joslin Smith disappearance suspects bail.
- Bloodstained clothing was also found in March 2024 in Saldanha Bay and linked to the missing 6-year-old.
- On 28 February 2025, it was reported that CCTV footage sparked hope that Joslin Smith is alive, but doubts remain over the claims
- Just a few weeks later, Kelly Smith, Joslin's mother, confessed to doing drugs on the day the six-year-old disappeared.
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Source: Briefly News
