Vanderbijlpark – A 32-year-old Gauteng woman accused of selling her two-year-old son has abandoned her bail application in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates Court. The woman faces serious charges, including human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, and providing false information to the police.
The charges stem from allegations that the woman sold her son to unidentified individuals on 10 November. Three days later, on 13 November, she reported a false kidnapping to the police, claiming unknown men in a car had abducted her child.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, inconsistencies in her account led to her confession. "Investigations by law enforcement revealed inconsistencies in her account, and she later confessed to fabricating the kidnapping story," Mahanjana explained, outlining the sequence of events that led to the woman's arrest on 19 November.
"The investigation to find him and bring those involved to justice is ongoing," she added, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and the commitment to finding the missing child.
The case was postponed to 27 January 2025 for further investigations, and the accused remains in custody until then. The NPA expressed its support for the ongoing investigation.
"The NPA commends the ongoing investigative work by law enforcement and remains committed to ensuring justice for the victim in this distressing case," Mahanjana stated, underscoring the authority's dedication to securing justice for the young child. The lack of bail for the accused reflects the gravity of the charges and the ongoing concern for the child's safety.
This case sadly echoes another disturbing incident in the Western Cape. The disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith from the Middelpos Informal Settlement near Saldanha Bay on 19 February 2024, remains unsolved nine months later.
Her mother, initially claiming ignorance of her daughter's whereabouts, was arrested a month later and charged with human trafficking and kidnapping alongside her boyfriend, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and their friends Steveno van Rhyn and Lourentia Lombaard.
Senior State Advocate Aradhana Heeramun, during the first court appearance of Smith, Appollis, and Van Rhyn on 7 March, alleged that Joshlin's mother instructed Appollis and Van Rhyn to sell the child to another Middelpos man for R20 000, allegedly for use in traditional medicine. All charges against Lombaard have since been withdrawn, and she is expected to testify as a state witness in the upcoming trial.
The Joshlin Smith case has been transferred to the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial conference scheduled for 31 January 2025. The ongoing investigation and upcoming trial highlight the complexities and challenges involved in these types of cases, as well as the determination of law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.
