On Wednesday, the fourth accused in Joshlin Smith’s disappearance, alleged sangoma Phumza Sigaqa, had his charges removed in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court.
Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and Stevano van Rhyn all dropped bail applications, according to the court.
During the hearings, the State confirmed that it would abandon all accusations against Sigaqa.
Appollis, van Rhyn, and Smith are still facing charges for human trafficking and kidnapping.
The State also requested a two-month postponement.
The State informed the court that there were still a lot of outstanding documents related to the investigation, such as mobile phone data and witness statements.
Police acknowledged that they were following up on many leads on Joshlin’s whereabouts.
Sigaqa will be released, while the other three will remain in detention.
The case has been postponed until May 13 for further investigation.
Outside court, mayhem broke out as irate community members demanded to know where Joshlin was.
People can be seen waving signs that read “Justice for Joshlin” and “We just want Joshlin back”.
The audience was also yelling, “We want Joshlin!”, “Onse kind (our child”), and “Ons kom jou haal (We’re coming to fetch you)”.
Police used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the throng.
Police have closed off the road outside the magistrate’s court and laid down barbed wire to contain the enormous gathering.
The Grade 1 student from Diazville in Saldanha Bay vanished without a trace on February 19th, shortly after 5pm.
Joshlin has been missing for 23 days, as of Wednesday.
