Joslin Smith: Social Worker Alleges Kelly Wanted To Stab Her Son and Grandmother

• The social worker who testified on day six of Joslin Smith's disappearance trial revealed Kelly's violent streak
• Kelly Smith, her partner Jacquin Appollis and their friend are standing trial, facing charges of kidnapping and trafficking
• The social worker said that Kelly Smith once threatened to harm one of her children and her grandmother almost a decade ago

With nine years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a current affairs writer for Briefly News, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

SALDANHA BAY, WESTERN CAPE — The Saldanha Bay community heard during Joslin Smith's disappearance trial that her mother, Kelly, threatened to stab her grandmother and her son. This was according to the testimony of a social worker on 11 March 2025.

What did the social worker say?

Joslin Smith's trial entered its second week, and it was not short of drama and shocking revelations. The Western Cape High Court decided to host sittings at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay. It was then that social worker Siliziwe Mbambo revealed that Kelly may have a violent side. Kelly, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn are currently facing charges of kidnapping and human trafficking. This was after Joslin disappeared on 19 February 2024.

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Mbambo said that Kelly's grandmother reached out to the Department of Social Development in February 2016. She accused Kelly of neglecting her child. Mbambo said the report added that she swore at her child and said she would stab him. She was pregnant with Joslin during the time. Kelly also threatened to beat her grandmother up.

Abusive background

The social worker added that Kelly had an abusive relationship with her baby daddy, Jose Emke. She had also reached out to the department for assistance with her Tik use. Her grandmother also threw her out of the house in 2017 for drug abuse. She also accused Kelly of not making contact with her son, who at that point was attending daycare.

What you need to know about the Joslin Smith case and trial

• Joslin Smith's mother, Kelly, was arrested with Appollis, van Rhyn and the fourth suspect, Lourentia Lombaard.
• Lombaard turned state witness when the suspects appeared in Court in October for their bail application.
• Kelly was later revealed to be pregnant after she accused prison wardens of assaulting her.
• She admitted during the trial in March that she was high on drugs the day her daughter disappeared.
• One of the witnesses, a police officer, accused the suspects of lying after Van Rhyn provided leads which were dead ends.

Read also

Joslin Smith trial: Former accused Lourentia Lombaard takes to witness stand to begin testimony

Witness contradicts Kelly's whereabouts

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a witness cast doubt on Kelly's whereabouts on the day her daughter, Joslin, disappeared. Kelly initially claimed that she was at Kelly Zeegers' house when Joslin vanished. Zeegers took the stand on the seventh day of the trial.

Zeegers said when she viewed the CCTV footage, it did not show that Kelly was at her house. She reviewed the footage for two days, and it did not corroborate her alibi.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News