Residents in Saldanha Bay are relieved after the Western Cape High Court official transferred the Joshlin Smith trial to the area.

In a pre-trial appearance on Friday, the trio heard the trial will be conducted at the Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay.

The matter was initially scheduled for pre-trial on Friday, February 28, however, the matter was expedited as the trial is expected to hit the ground running.

The venue where the trial will be hosted is a community centre that will now serve as a sitting of the high court.

The venue will be turned into a full-on courtroom with security expected to be on alert.

Members of the community will be welcomed to attend the hearing from the public gallery.

Judge Nathan Erasmus will preside over the proceedings.

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Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn face charges of kidnapping and trafficking in persons for exploitation.

Kelly, who was at Pollsmoor Prison, will now be transferred to Malmesbury Prison, where her other two co-accused are in detention in order to be closer to court.

In the indictment handed over to the court in October, it read that Kelly had allegedly planned to have her children taken away or sold in August 2023, six months before Joshlin went missing.

The indictment further reads that the day before Joshlin disappeared, Sunday, February 18, Kelly and Joshlin walked to a white vehicle that was parked near their home. The indictment reads that an unknown woman alighted from the vehicle, spoke to Kelly, handed her something and she and Joshlin returned home.

It is alleged Joshlin was sold to the woman in the white car.

On Wednesday, it was one year since Joshlin disappeared. To date, there has been no new leads on her whereabouts.

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robin.francke@iol.co.za

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