'Speak the truth': Gayton McKenzie calls on Kelly Smith to reveal what happened to Joshlin

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has urged the mother of Joshlin Smith, Kelly Smith to confess to authorities about what happened to her child.

Last year, six-year-old Joshlin Smith disappeared without a trace outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, sparking an extensive search operation. Despite efforts by police and the community, her whereabouts remain unknown.

Police would later reveal that Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested in connection with Joshlin's disappearance and have been charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.

The trio appeared on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking on Monday and pleaded not guilty.

However, despite pleading not guilty, the Patriotic Alliance leader has urged the mother to "confess" about what happened to Joshlin, while also noting how the once skinny Smith had gained weight since being in custody.

"The difference is not jail food but the absence of drugs in her body. I sincerely hope that the goodness that we are all born with shall return also, she must confess and share the truth with the authorities regarding her daughter Joshlin," McKenzie said in a Facebook post on Monday.

McKenzie also suggested that drug abuse may have also had a role in the disappearance of Joshlin.

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"If drugs don’t kill you physically it kills who you were, I hope as the drugs leave, the truth shall enter her life again. Kelly praat tog net die waarheid. (Kelly, please tell the truth)

The case has garnered significant attention from community members who have called for justice to prevail, following the six-year-old's disappearance.

About 200 people packed the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Center as the trial started on Monday.

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