Joslin Smith Trial: Judge Nathan Erasmus Annoyed As Convicted Trio Arrives One Hour Late for Court

• Kelly Smith, Jacquin Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn appeared in court an hour later than they were scheduled to
• Judge Nathan Erasmus was unhappy with the delay and promised to get to the bottom of what happened to cause the delay
• After being found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking, Van Rhyn, Smith, and Appollis will be sentenced at the end of May 2025

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE - Sentencing procedures in the Joslin Smith trial will officially get underway on Tuesday, 27 May 2025.

Joslin’s mother, Kelly, Jacquin Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking on 2 May, about the disappearance of the little Saldanha Bay girl.

The trio appeared in the Western Cape High Court on 23 May to find out how sentencing would proceed, but their appearance did not go as smoothly as planned.

Judge Nathan Erasmus annoyed by delays

What was meant to be a quick appearance by the trio ran well over an hour due to a delay in getting them to court.

Smith, van Rhyn and Appollis were detained at Pollsmoor Prison during the period between the finalisation of the trial and sentencing, and were brought back to the Western Cape High Court on the 23rd. Much to Judge Nathan Erasmus’ annoyance, the trio arrived over an hour later, forcing a few postponements to proceedings.

When Erasmus questioned the sergeant in charge of their transport about what went wrong, he indicated that there was a delay at the prison.

This didn’t sit well with Erasmus, who said he would get his registrar to write a letter to the commissioner of Correctional Services to find out exactly what happened.

He warned the sergeant that next time he encountered a delay, he needed to let the registrar of the judge overseeing the matter know about it. Erasmus also stated that this wasn’t the end of the matter.

“I will determine what happened. I’ve heard your story. It doesn’t mean it ends there. Because this has become the norm in the lower courts, where people arrive late for court and it’s unacceptable,” he said.

What’s next for Smith, Appollis and van Rhyn?

The trio will next appear in Saldanha Bay on 27 May, with sentencing expected to continue until Thursday, 29 May, when Judge Erasmus will make his decision.

Both the State and defence will present arguments, while the trio also have the option of calling witnesses to testify on their behalf in mitigation of sentence.

Van Rhyn and Appollis will be moved to Malmesbury Prison until the proceedings begin, while Smith will be moved to Langebaan.

What you need to know about the Joslin Smith trial

• Lourencia Lombaard testified that a sangoma wanted Joslin for her eyes and skin.
• Advocate Rinesh Sivnarain accused Lombaard of being the mastermind behind Joslin’s disappearance.
• Gayton McKenzie accused the Saldanha Bay Mayor of being involved in Joslin Smith’s disappearance.
• Appollis detailed how police allegedly tortured him while he was at the Sea Border offices.
• One of the defence lawyers alleged that police told van Rhyn and Appollis what to say in their statements.
• Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that statements made by Appollis and van Rhyn may be admitted as evidence.
• Kelly and her two co-accused were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping.

Police dig under Kelly Smith’s home

Briefly News also reported that the police dug up the area under Kelly Smith’s home in Middelpos on Sunday, 4 May 2025.

Police searched the area under where the home stood after rumours circulated that Joslin may be buried there.

The house was burnt down on Friday, 2 May, after the trio were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping.

Source: Briefly News