South African mother given life in jail for trafficking daughter

STORY: A South African mother and two accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for trafficking her then 6-year-old daughter.

Kelly Smith, her boyfriend and their friend were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking the girl,

:: File

Joshlin Smith, after she disappeared from a small town in the Western Cape.

In a trial that shocked the country, a witness said Kelly Smith told her she had sold her daughter to a traditional healer for $1,100, and that the girl was desired for her "eyes and skin."

High court judge, Nathan Erasmus, during the sentencing, said the fact Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were drug users was no excuse.

He said there was nothing "redeeming" he could find that meant the harshest sentence shouldn't be imposed.

Joshlin Smith has still not been found despite an extensive police search, and police appealed for more information at the sentencing.

The case has gained nationwide attention since the child went missing last year.