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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was revealed on Monday in the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court where Joshlin’s mother, Racquel Chantel Smith, and her co-accused, boyfriend Jacquin Rowhan Appollis, Steveno Van Rhyn and Lourentia Lombard, appeared briefly.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The matter was remanded to 16 September, at which point the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will deliver a letter to the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court, informing it that the case will be transferred to the Western Cape High Court. The State will also hand over the indictment to the accused, outlining the charges against them.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The four accused are charged with trafficking and kidnapping for the purpose of exploitation. Lombard has made a confession which will only be made public once read into the record during the trial.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Grade 1 Diazville Primary School pupil went </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-27-police-scale-down-search-for-six-year-old-joslin-smith-after-a-week-with-no-leads/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">missing</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Middelpos informal settlement on 19 February. Police investigations indicate that on that day Joshlin’s mother dropped her off with her boyfriend at about 8am and went to work. When she returned at 5pm, Joshlin was gone.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2107066\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Joshlins-mom-Racquel-Smith.jpg\" alt=\"Racquel Smith\" width=\"1795\" height=\"992\" /> <em>Joshlin's mother, Racquel Smith, making her way into the Vredenburg Magistrates' Court. (Photo: Vincent Cruywagen)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2093309\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/maiun.jpg\" alt=\"joshlin smith\" width=\"4000\" height=\"2243\" /> <em>Racquel Kelly Smith in court in Vredenburg on 7 March 2024. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An extensive search across Middelpos by the police K9 Unit, NGOs and volunteers, going door to door and searching drains, while a helicopter focused on inaccessible areas and rescue boats went out.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside court on Monday, residents said they didn’t know who to turn to, because if the police couldn’t find Joshlin, how could they? They resumed the search after the court proceedings. </span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:</span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-06-missing-joslin-police-grill-4-people-officers-dog-unit-scour-dump/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> </span></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-06-missing-joslin-police-grill-4-people-officers-dog-unit-scour-dump/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Search for Joslin — police grill four ‘people of interest’ while officers, dog unit scour Saldanha rubbish dump”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-18-confession-rumours-swirl-as-fourth-suspect-arrested-in-joshlin-smith-disappearance-case/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">‘Confession rumours swirl as fourth suspect arrested in Joshlin Smith disappearance case’</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday the State requested a further postponement for further investigation, forensic reports and data analysis of the accused’s cellphones.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2081217\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Joslin-Smith.jpg\" alt=\"Joshlin Smith\" width=\"1414\" height=\"903\" /> <em>There is still no trace of six-year-old Joshlin Smith of Saldanha Bay. (Photo: Supplied)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the brief appearance, Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said new evidence had emerged.</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He did not want to reveal any information about this, but said that depending on the outcome of the investigation, “one cannot rule out additional charges or a new accused being added to the docket”. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“When we come back on the 16 September the State will hand over a letter advising the court that the matter will be transferred to the Western Cape High Court. At the next court appearance the accused will be handed an indictment,” he said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ntabazalila also appealed to anyone with information that might help the investigation to contact the police. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n\r\n<iframe title=\"Electricity prices through the roof\" width=\"100%\" height=\"324\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" data-tally-src=\"https://tally.so/embed/nW0NXJ?hideTitle=1&dynamicHeight=1\"></iframe><script>var d=document,w=\"https://tally.so/widgets/embed.js\",v=function(){\"undefined\"!=typeof Tally?Tally.loadEmbeds():d.querySelectorAll(\"iframe[data-tally-src]:not([src])\").forEach((function(e){e.src=e.dataset.tallySrc}))};if(\"undefined\"!=typeof Tally)v();else if(d.querySelector('script[src=\"'+w+'\"]')==null){var s=d.createElement(\"script\");s.src=w,s.onload=v,s.onerror=v,d.body.appendChild(s);}</script>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was revealed on Monday in the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court where Joshlin’s mother, Racquel Chantel Smith, and her co-accused, boyfriend Jacquin Rowhan Appollis, Steveno Van Rhyn and Lourentia Lombard, appeared briefly.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The matter was remanded to 16 September, at which point the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will deliver a letter to the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court, informing it that the case will be transferred to the Western Cape High Court. The State will also hand over the indictment to the accused, outlining the charges against them.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The four accused are charged with trafficking and kidnapping for the purpose of exploitation. Lombard has made a confession which will only be made public once read into the record during the trial.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Grade 1 Diazville Primary School pupil went </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-27-police-scale-down-search-for-six-year-old-joslin-smith-after-a-week-with-no-leads/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">missing</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Middelpos informal settlement on 19 February. Police investigations indicate that on that day Joshlin’s mother dropped her off with her boyfriend at about 8am and went to work. When she returned at 5pm, Joshlin was gone.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2107066\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1795\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2107066\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Joshlins-mom-Racquel-Smith.jpg\" alt=\"Racquel Smith\" width=\"1795\" height=\"992\" /> <em>Joshlin's mother, Racquel Smith, making her way into the Vredenburg Magistrates' Court. (Photo: Vincent Cruywagen)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2093309\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"4000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2093309\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/maiun.jpg\" alt=\"joshlin smith\" width=\"4000\" height=\"2243\" /> <em>Racquel Kelly Smith in court in Vredenburg on 7 March 2024. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An extensive search across Middelpos by the police K9 Unit, NGOs and volunteers, going door to door and searching drains, while a helicopter focused on inaccessible areas and rescue boats went out.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside court on Monday, residents said they didn’t know who to turn to, because if the police couldn’t find Joshlin, how could they? They resumed the search after the court proceedings. </span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:</span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-06-missing-joslin-police-grill-4-people-officers-dog-unit-scour-dump/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> </span></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-06-missing-joslin-police-grill-4-people-officers-dog-unit-scour-dump/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Search for Joslin — police grill four ‘people of interest’ while officers, dog unit scour Saldanha rubbish dump”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-03-18-confession-rumours-swirl-as-fourth-suspect-arrested-in-joshlin-smith-disappearance-case/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">‘Confession rumours swirl as fourth suspect arrested in Joshlin Smith disappearance case’</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday the State requested a further postponement for further investigation, forensic reports and data analysis of the accused’s cellphones.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2081217\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1414\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2081217\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Joslin-Smith.jpg\" alt=\"Joshlin Smith\" width=\"1414\" height=\"903\" /> <em>There is still no trace of six-year-old Joshlin Smith of Saldanha Bay. (Photo: Supplied)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the brief appearance, Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said new evidence had emerged.</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He did not want to reveal any information about this, but said that depending on the outcome of the investigation, “one cannot rule out additional charges or a new accused being added to the docket”. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“When we come back on the 16 September the State will hand over a letter advising the court that the matter will be transferred to the Western Cape High Court. 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Joshlin's mother, Racquel Smith, making her way into the Vredenburg Magistrates' Court. (Photo: Vincent Cruywagen)
Racquel Kelly Smith in court in Vredenburg on 7 March 2024. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images)
There is still no trace of six-year-old Joshlin Smith of Saldanha Bay. (Photo: Supplied)