Life sentence for mother who sold her own child in South Africa

A South African mother and two accomplices have been sentenced to life imprisonment for trafficking her then 6-year-old daughter. The three also received ten years for the abduction of the girl.

Kelly Smith, her partner Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were previously found guilty of abduction and human trafficking earlier this month.

The 6-year-old Joshlin Smith disappeared last February from her home in Middelpos, near Cape Town. Her 35-year-old mother Kelly Smith claimed on the day of the disappearance that she had left her daughter with a friend.

In the trial, which caused much controversy, a neighbor of Smith testified that she had sold Joshlin to a sangoma, a traditional healer. "That person wanted the girl because of her eyes and skin," the neighbor told the court. The girl has a light skin tone and green eyes.

When announcing the sentences, the judge stated that the fact that the suspects were drug addicts was no excuse.