International News
Missing South African girl was wanted for her ‘eyes and skin’
Executive Mayor Andrè Truter/ FacebookA young South African girl who disappeared last year aged six was allegedly sought by a traditional healer for her eyes and fair complexion, a court has heard.
This is among the allegations that have emerged at the ongoing trial of Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly Smith, who has been accused of orchestrating her kidnapping.
Ms Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn have pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.
Joshlin’s disappearance in February 2024 from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, sent shockwaves across South Africa and, despite a highly publicised search for her, she is yet to be found.
Ms Smith initially said that Joshlin, who has a fair complexion and blue-green eyes, had gone missing after she had left her in Mr Appollis’s care.
Prosecutors later accused her of having “sold, delivered or exchanged” the six-year-old and lied about her disappearance.
The trial, which is now in its third week, is being held at a community centre in Saldanha.
During the first week of the trial, the court heard details about the day Joshlin went missing, including that Ms Smith only alerted the police more than six hours after she had first noticed that the young girl had disappeared.
The court also heard that she appeared calm during the frantic search and seemed more concerned about her boyfriend’s whereabouts than the missing child.
More shocking claims emerged in the second week.
A local pastor said that as far back as 2023, he had heard Ms Smith – a mother of three – talk of selling her children for 20,000 rand ($1,100, £850) each, though she had said she was willing to accept a lower figure of $275.
Joshlin’s teacher then alleged in court that Ms Smith had told her during the search that her daughter was already “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa”.
These revelations paled in comparison to the explosive details made by Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbour of Ms Smith, who turned state witness.
She took the stand last Thursday and, over three days, detailed the events in the lead up to Joshlin’s disappearance that involved a traditional healer, known in South Africa as a “sangoma”.
Ms Lombaard alleged that her friend confessed to her: “I did something silly … I sold my child to a sangoma”, adding that she had been driven by a desperate need for money.
Joshlin’s mother promised those who knew of the plan some money in return for their silence, Ms Lombaard said.
She told the court that she later witnessed Ms Smith pack some clothes for Joshlin into a black bag, which she then saw her carry as the two walked to meet a woman Ms Lombaard believes was the sangoma.
Mother and daughter got into a white car and drove away with the woman, Ms Lombaard said.
Speaking on Monday, her last day on the stand, Ms Lombaard told the court that the “person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin”.
It was not made clear in court why a sangoma would want a child like this.
A woman believed to be a traditional healer was initially arrested and charged alongside Ms Smith and her co-accused last year, but the charges against her were eventually dropped because of a lack of evidence.
Sangomas are legally recognised in South Africa under the Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007, alongside herbalists, traditional birth attendants and traditional surgeons.
It is believed that ancestral spirits are able to provide advice and healing through these culturally respected practitioners.
Some charlatans are involved in unscrupulous traditional so-called cures, and have been known to sell good luck charms that involve body parts.
Ms Lombaard expressed sorrow over her role in Joshlin’s disappearance, saying that she had tried, without success, to stop Ms Smith from selling her daughter.
She appealed to whoever had taken the young girl to “please bring her back alive”.
The trial is expected to run until 28 March.
BBC
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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