Joshlin Smith trial: Don't lose sight of justice

In the most anticipated case of kidnapping and trafficking, shocking allegations of police brutality emerged on the third day of the Joshlin Smith trial in Saldanha.

But while these claims must be taken seriously, we cannot lose sight of the most important question – what happened to little Joshlin? It has been a year since the 6-year-old disappeared from her home in Middlepos. A year of searching, and unanswered questions, a year of a family and a community left with nothing but heartbreak.

Now as the trial continues in a High Court sitting in White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay, claims of police brutality have come to light. One of the accused says he was suffocated with a plastic bag and beaten in custody. If this is true, it is unacceptable. The police cannot break the law in the name of justice, and if officers acted unlawfully they must answer for it.

But at the centre of this case, a child is still missing, and no one in the courtroom has given a straight answer about what happened to Joshlin.

Her father and grandmother sat in court this week, listening as the accused spoke of alleged mistreatment, but they left with no answers about what happened in the case of the little girl which gripped the nation.

The three accused – Jacquen "Boeta" Appollis, Steveno van Ryn and Racquel "Kelly" Smith – have a case to answer for. The court has already heard disturbing details about the way Joshlin lived before she disappeared. Now it must get to the truth.

Police brutality cannot be ignored and it also cannot shift focus away from what really matters – making sure those responsible for her disappearance face justice.

Her family deserves answers, the country deserves answers and most important, Joshlin deserves to come home.

Cape Argus