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A substantial crowd assembled outside the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on March 7 for the Joslin Smith disappearance case, begging for answers and praying that the little Saldanha girl, who went missing over three weeks ago, gets found.

While her case makes international headlines and generates a resounding outcry, another two children in the Western Cape are also currently missing.

Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) operational CEO Martlé Keyter urged that all cases of missing children should get the attention and urgency they deserve, reported The Citizen.

“What about all the other Joslins our there? No case should be less important. This is a pandemic in our country,” said Keyter, adding that South Africa has been declared a human trafficking hub.

Over a whopping 1,300 children are kidnapped every month, according to Missing Children South Africa, with South Africa ranked first on the African continent in kidnappings and seventh-highest worldwide.

While it is true that the media and public often use one person as a case in point for a larger trend, we must not forget that Joslin is not the only missing child on the roster right now.

“We must see the same dedication from the police and media attention in the search not only for Joslin, but also for the other missing children in the province, and in the country. If not, something is terribly wrong,” the trade union’s CEO urged.

Unfortunately, as Keyter said, numerous police officers and prosecutors have admitted to MISA that they don’t have the manpower or the expertise to investigate crime. According to statistics released in Parliament last year, the South African Police Service (Saps) shed more than 8,000 detectives in six years.

“In Joslin’s case, Saps had to deploy the best of the best because of the international attention the incident is receiving and thanks to all the fake news being spread which derailed the investigation and wasted limited manpower and resources at a critical time.

“When there is a case like the one of Joslin, all the other police stations are expected to send manpower to assist with the operation. The same happens when they need to clamp down on illegal building occupation or to uproot illegal zama-zamas,” Keyter added.

Childline KwaZulu-Natal’s acting director, Adeshini Naicker told IOL that South Africa was a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking and children may be abducted for purposes such as forced labour or sexual exploitation.

“Improving the police response to missing children cases involves addressing various factors, including ensuring that police services personnel receive specialised training in handling missing children’s cases.”

 

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Missing Children South Africa, Bianca van Aswegen, said not enough attention was placed on missing children cases unless the case was fresh. According to statistics released in June 2023 by the Saps, close to 4,000 children remain missing in South Africa.

Little Joslin went missing on 19 February from her Middelpos home, with her mom, Kelly Smith, claiming she left Joslin with her boyfriend, Jacquin “Boeta” Appollis, only to return with no daughter in sight.

In a shocking twist, Joslin’s mother, the boyfriend, and a Middelpos sangoma were all charged with human trafficking and kidnapping in a packed Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, March 7. They will appear in court again tomorrow for their bail bid.

Meanwhile, other families suffer with the loss of their own children.

Ongeziwe Kamlana, a Grade 12 pupil at Fezeka High School in Gugulethu, was last seen by her mother on 17 February when she left home to attend extra classes.

There is also 13-year-old Lizalise Mayi, who was last seen by her mother before she went to attend a funeral in Lower Crossroads, Philippi East, on 24 February.

RT #sapsWC Mitchells Plain #sapsFCS Unit seeks the assistance of the public to trace 13yr-old Lizalise Mayi who is #missing. She was reportedly last seen on 24/02 at 09:00, at her residence in Mthathi Street, Lower Crossroads, when she left her home without informing anyone.… pic.twitter.com/kOQ5A13iFX

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) March 2, 2024

If only Police Minister Bheki Cele hadn’t spent a fortune going to Paris recently on the taxpayer’s dime, then maybe there would be more funds to find these poor kids.

[source:citizen]