Joshlin's mom spoke of movie-like plan to have 'bad' children taken away

Joshlin Smith's mother expressed disappointment at having to wait for people she expected would pay R20,000 to “take away” one or more of her children — months before her daughter went missing.

Witness Nico Coetzee, a general worker who preaches at church services in Saldanha Bay, told the high court on Wednesday he met Racquel “Kelly” Smith at a funeral in 2016.

After the service she introduced herself, explaining that she hailed from Springbok and asked if he could help her find work with any of the families he worked for in Diazville and Jacobs Bay.

“In August 2023 one morning I left the house and while on my way to work, it was a cold morning, I walked nearby to Middelpos settlement over a field and saw someone jogging. As I walked on, I recognised from her blonde hair that it was Kelly,” testified Coetzee.

“Kelly started to talk to me and said she was still waiting for a job. I asked where she was coming from or where she was going, and she pointed to where she lived.

She disclosed living with a “bad family” and because of this her children were going to be taken away. He asked where to but she did not reply.

“Kelly said she was waiting for people to come to her who were supposed to come earlier, but disappointed her. She said if they come again and do not have the full amount of R20,000 she would be happy with R5,000.”

Coetzee said he had asked another question but Smith continued talking.

“Next year in January/February you are going to see what will happen. It is going to be a movie scene, cars are going to come and people are going to search and find nothing as the child will be far away,” she told him.

He testified that he was speechless and had told his employers what she said.

An earlier witness, social media influencer Shakeera Ganief, who goes by the name “Shakes Warrior” on TikTok, said she was shocked by what Smith told her during the search for Joshlin.

Ganief got involved in the search and initially spoke to her mother on a video call with a cellphone belonging to Kelly Ziggers, daughter of Carlien Ziggers who had employed Smith as a domestic worker.

Ganief said the conversation was “quite disturbing to say the least”. Smith, she said, was vague, did not appear to be in distress and was rude.

“I posed a question to her, ‘Who was Joshlin with?’ She said she was with Jacquin [her boyfriend, co-accused Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis] and asked if he had not done something to Joshlin after which Kelly became defensive and rude,” said Ganief.

Smith told her, “I am actually the evil one and when I want to hit the child, Boeta would stop me.”

Ganief observed during the call that Smith's hands and fingertips looked as if she had been digging in dirt.

The TikTokker arrived in Saldanha Bay on February 21 and stayed until early April joining efforts for find Joshlin. Smith initially ignored her.

Smith, she added, later apologised for her behaviour and said, “I’ve always wanted to be famous. I just didn’t know it was going to be through Joshlin.”

“I was shocked when I heard that as that is the last thing that should be going through a mother’s mind, especially when your child is missing,” said Ganief.

“After that we had an altercation on whether Kelly was going to help look for Joshlin and she said: ‘Jy moet op hou soek vir my kind, julle moet ophou soek vir my kind, die polisie moet doen hulle wêrk’ [You must stop searching for my child. You must stop searching for my child. The police must do their work].”

The court was shown evidence of a Facebook live stream between Ganief, Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie and Smith.

Ganief told the court that Smith had lied to her and constantly gave different versions of what had happened.

“First it was that the children overslept for school, then that their school clothes were dirty then that the children were sick.”

The court saw further evidence of a video depicting Smith dancing at a prayer service for Joshlin. 

The trial continues. 

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