EDITORIAL | Joshlin's real story may never be told, but there are others out there

The sad truth about the Joshlin Smith trial is that we may never get to know exactly what happened to her.

She has been missing for more than a year and with every day that passes, the chances of finding her alive have diminished. That hope is now almost gone and even the confirmation of a body would bring her loved ones, her community and South Africa some closure. But even that may forever remain elusive.

The reality is that life is not a movie, and tragic cases like Joshlin's don't always have a Hollywood-style ending. Sometimes they don't have an ending at all, just a lifetime of tortured wondering, hoping, mourning and second-guessing.

Joshlin's case has captivated South Africa, and rightly so. The disappearance of a child — and the subsequent suspicion that her own mother may have had a hand in it — is an abhorrent thought.

But sadly her story is not unique. Joshlin was one of 697 children who went missing in the 2023/24 financial year, according to the police. Of these, 225 have never been found. Those families are caught in a perpetual continuum of unresolved grief.

Almost 2,000 children were reported missing in the past three years, according to the police. Of those, 1,252 were found and 742 are still missing. This equates to an average of about 250 children who go missing each year and are never found. Their images are plastered over social media in a desperate attempt to create awareness. They mostly go unnoticed by the general population.

Joshlin's case admittedly has unusual elements to it which have captured the public's attention. Claims of a sangoma's involvement began almost from the very first day she was reported missing. Her striking blue eyes and blonde hair were very quickly raised as being a valuable underworld commodity.

But did the fact that she was a beautiful child play any part in the massive public interest in this case? There is no denying that looks play a role in the public attention that gender-based violence cases involving children get. This global phenomenon speaks volumes about society and the role that physical appearance plays in it. Humans are an enigma.

But more importantly, these police statistics show that we are failing our children — the most vulnerable members of society — in so many ways.

This is a massive failure, and South Africans should hang their heads in shame. In the much-quoted words of Nelson Mandela, 'the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children'

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that of the more than 5,000 cases of child abuse reported to the Teddy Bear Foundation in the past five years, just 4% — about one in 25 — have resulted in a conviction.

Delays and frequent postponements have been linked to staff shortages, load-shedding and other technical issues. Some victims said they gave up their quest for justice because the system is more traumatic than the original abuse.

The foundation's research found that of the 5,385 cases handled by its court-preparation programme between 2019 and 2024, 4,547 — a staggering 84% — are still pending, while 514 cases have been withdrawn. Of the 838 cases finalised, only 230 resulted in a conviction. Some 46% of cases reported involve sexual abuse, the research found.

This is a massive failure, and South Africans should hang their heads in shame. In the much-quoted words of Nelson Mandela, “the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children”.

Better policing and more efficient court processes are the responsibility of the state, and we must demand that from our government. But we all have a role to play when it comes to the protection of children.

We are the eyes and ears of our communities, and if we see things that cause concern we must act. We must speak out. We must ensure that children grow up in a world in which love, shelter, education, stability, nutrition and protection are taken as a given or, ideally, even taken for granted.

The success of future generations depends on it.