Cape Town – Police have reportedly said that they have completed their investigation into complaints of kidnapping and obstruction of justice against Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie in the Joshlin Smith case.
McKenzie, who actively searched for the missing six-year-old in Saldanha Bay last year, admitted to assisting the child’s mother, Kelly Smith.
[WATCH] Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says he has never interfered in the Joshlin Smith investigation. The little girl went missing last year, and her mother, Kelly Smith, is one of the accused in her disappearance. pic.twitter.com/SYiU5c2nmt
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 28, 2025
Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis, and his friend Stevano van Rhyn are on trial for allegedly selling Joshlin to a sangoma for R20,000.
State witness Captain Wesley Lombard told the Western Cape High Court on Thursday that social media posts may have compromised the police investigation into Joshlin Smith’s disappearance.
He said that when he took over the case a week after she went missing, he found that McKenzie had involved himself in the search and used his social media platform to update the public.
Lombard said false claims that police had abandoned the search and lacked resources created negative publicity, making it harder for authorities to gather information and leads.
Over the weekend, McKenzie acknowledged the allegations, including a possible kidnapping charge from a former accused’s boyfriend.
Police confirmed that the case docket is now with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), EWN reported.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
