The mother of missing 6-year-old girl Joslin Smith says she vehemently believes her child is still alive.
The little girl, from the Middelpos Informal Settlement in Saldanha Bay (situated adjacent to Diazville) disappeared exactly a week ago, whilst in the care of her mother’s boyfriend. She went missing on Monday 19 February.
Her heartbroken mother, Kelly Smith (33) has told Smile FM she refuses to give up on the hope of her child being found:
“Yes it may have been a week, but my child is still alive. I can still feel her so what I can tell you is that, as a mother, I can still feel my child is alive. She isn’t dead or anything like that,” said an emotional Smith.
R20 000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION
Meanwhile, the Saldanha Bay Municipality has offered a reward of R20 000 for information that would lead to the child being found. Executive Mayor, Andre Truter says this is being done in collaboration with the South African Police Services. Anonymous tip-offs can also be made.
Truter added that there is now reason to suspect this is a matter of criminality. Two members of the public, on Thursday, donated funds of R10 000 each:
“So SAPS will set up a line and they will set up a team that will then run with the information. We will just put out the message to say there’s a R20 000 for any positive information that would lead to Joshlin being found.”
READ MORE: Search for missing 6 year old from Saldanha continues
He has pleaded with anyone who may have information to please alert authorities as soon as possible:
“If you’re out there and know anything that can point this investigation in the right direction; not what you think, not what you’ve dreamed, what you do know…then I beg you to come forward. I beg you on behalf of a broken family, and so many broken families out there,” Truter asked.
FAKE NEWS
Meanwhile, Missing Children South Africa has urged the public to refrain from spreading fake news and unconfirmed reports.
Criminologist and national co-ordinator for the organisation, Bianca van Aswegen says far too many fake reports are currently going viral, and that this hampers the investigation:
“We do ask the public to please refrain from sending false messages, sending or sharing false posts that are going around on social media, and refrain from commenting please. It does actually influence the investigation,” says van Aswegen.
At the same time, Nyanga Police detectives are also searching for 17-year-old Ongeziwe Kamlana. The teen has been missing since Saturday 17 February.
The grade 12 learner at Fezeka High School was wearing her school uniform, at the time of her disappearance.
She was last seen by her mother at her Gugulethu residence, at around 16h15 that afternoon.
