Editor's note: Watch the Joshlin Smith story Thursday 27 February at 8pm on The Last Word with Shahan Ramkissoon, only on channel DStv403
JOHANNESBURG - Joshlin Smith, a six-year-old girl from Saldanha Bay, disappeared on 19 February 2024.
This timeline focuses on key events related to her disappearance, the investigation, and subsequent legal proceedings.
19 February 2024
Joshlin Smith, a Grade 1 pupil at Diazville Primary School, disappeared from her home in Middelpos.
Joshlin's mother Kelly Smith left her in the care of her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis.
Her mother had kept her at home because she was not feeling well.
A large-scale search is launched on 20 February with police K9 units, NGOs, volunteers, helicopters and rescue boats.
27 February 2024
Appollis says he doesn't know what happened to Joshlin on the day she went missing.
He said he last saw Joshlin while she was playing with friends outside.
Though he feels responsible for Joshlin’s disappearance, Appollis says he has no idea what happened to her.
2 March 2024
Clothing items allegedly stained with blood were discovered in an open field in Diazville, Saldanha Bay.
The clothes are believed to belong to a young girl.
The search intensified with the SA Navy joining the search and rescue team that involved the canine unit and drones.
5 March 2024
Three people were taken into police custody in connection with Joshlin's disappearance.
eNCA has learnt that two of the three confessed to police while the third one is not cooperating.
Her father, meanwhile, is doubting whether his child may still be alive.
7 March 2024
Joshlin's mother, her boyfriend, a friend and an alleged sangoma appeared at the Vredendal magistrate's court.
The case was postponed to 13 March and the suspects remanded in custody.
The four have been charged with human trafficking and kidnapping.
Police are keeping mum on reports that Joshlin was sold for around R20,000.
10 March 2024
Former Western Cape MEC for Community Safety and Police Oversight Reagen Allen says the search for Joshlin is extended beyond the Western Cape.
Former Police Minister Bheki Cele called for everyone to put politics aside and assist in finding the 6-year-old.
15 April 2024
The search for Joshlin has moved overseas.
Cele says they are investigating information that the little girl was on a vessel bound for international waters.
15 July 2024
The case against suspects was postponed to September following a short stint in court.
They include her mother Kelly Smith and her mother's boyfriend, Jacquen Apollis.
Their two alleged accomplices and friends Steveno Van Rhyn and Lourentia Lombard were also in the dock.
16 September 2024
The Joshlin Smith case is postponed to 21 October 2024.
The state says it has come into new evidence and wants to present it.
The four suspects appeared briefly in the Vredenburg magistrate's court.
21 October 2024
Laurentia Lombaard, accused number four in the Joshlin Smith disappearance case, will now appear as a state witness.
She has made a deal with the state in exchange for her testimony on her three accomplices.
Jacquen Apollis, Steveno van Rhyn, and Raquel 'Kelly' Smith remain in custody for the disappearance of the six-year-old from her Middelpos home.
The case will now be heard in the Western Cape High Court for pre-trial proceedings on 31 January 2025.
31 January 2025
The pretrial hearing in the disappearance of Joshlin Smith was postponed again, this time to 28 February.
The reason given was logistical problems causing the absence of two of the accused in court.
Judge Gayaat-Salie da Silva indicated that the court was considering holding the trial in Saldanha, a central location, to allow interested members of the public to attend.
Smith's grandmother says she welcomes the plans to move the trial to Saldanha and hope more information will come to light about her granddaughter's whereabouts.
19 February 2025
It's been a year since Joshlin's disappearance.
Despite multiple searches and the arrest of several people, including her own mother, Racquel 'Kelly' Smith, not a trace has been found.
Provincial police officials say the investigation and search operations continue.