South Africa: Police Chase New Lead For Missing Joslin Smith Sold By Mother Firstpost Africa
South Africa's police continue to search for missing girl Joslin Smith, whose mother was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for kidnapping and trafficking her daughter. In the latest, the police teams combed through an informal settlement in Saldanha Bay, a fishing town 135 km north of Cape Town. The search teams were led by detectives with K-9 members. The police say whether the ongoing search will yield any success remains to be seen. In May this year, Joslin's mother, Raquel "Kelly" Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced to life in prison after they were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking the girl. The South African police said an investigation into the case was not closed despite the sentencing of the suspects. South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Kidnapping of children in the country is also on the rise. Human trafficking, ritual killings, ransom and extortion have driven this surge in kidnappings.
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News18
an hour ago
- News18
South African national sentenced to 15 years jail for smuggling heroin
Last Updated: Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) A special court here has convicted a South African national and sentenced him to 15 years in jail for possession and smuggling of drugs into India. Special Judge P P Jadhav said the prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused smuggled 3.980 kg of heroin into India. A copy of the order dated August 1 was made available on Tuesday. The Narcotics Control Bureau arrested the accused Mapoma Joseph Lemao in April 2022 after he was caught at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The NCB recovered the drugs from his baggage, and a probe revealed his links to an international trafficking syndicate, involving handlers based in South Africa and Tanzania. PTI SP ARU Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
South African national sentenced to 15 years for bringing 4kg heroin into India
Mumbai: Refuting the defence that he unknowingly carried the drugs after an agent sent him for football team trials in India, a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) court convicted and sentenced a 34-year-old South African national to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for importing nearly four kilograms of heroin into India in 2022. The case, which centred on a carefully planned operation by the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) following a tip-off, also resulted in a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh for the accused, Mapoma Lemao. The judge refuted the defence advocate's arguments that the contraband was subsequently planted, as it remained untraced even after Lemao went through mandatory checks at three airports: Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Mumbai. Special Judge PP Jadhav reasoned, "It has revealed that the contraband was concealed by creating a false cavity (of the bag) covered with plastic and cotton cloth. The contraband has missed in the strict checking on all three airports. This is not the first and last instance wherein the contraband is not traced in the mandatory checking." Lemao was found guilty of various offences under the NDPS Act for conspiring, importing, and possessing 3.980 kgs of heroin. A co-accused, Mwanyuki Musa, a Tanzanian national, was acquitted. The judge said that, as pointed out by Musa's advocate, Dilip Mishra, except for Lemao's statement and that of an intelligence officer involved in the operations, there was no independent evidence to show his involvement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Take a Look - How Watching Videos Can Boost Your Income TheDaddest Undo "Certainly, the mere statement of a co-accused cannot be the base to prove the guilt of the accused," the judge said. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The prosecution's case detailed a raid initiated by the NCB, Mumbai Zonal Unit, following a specific intelligence note received on April 11, 2022, that Lemao would arrive the following morning at the city's international airport. The note said that he would either be carrying drugs in his bag or on himself. Lemao was apprehended, and a search was conducted. The heroin was recovered from a cavity in his bag, and he was arrested. During his statement, Lemao claimed he was promised a football trial in India by an agent named Faris. He stated that Faris handled his travel arrangements and asked him to carry the drugs, instructing him to deliver the consignment to a woman named Lyidi Jina at a hotel near the airport. Lemao also implicated his co-accused, Musa, stating that Faris had provided his details as a backup contact. Musa was subsequently intercepted by another NCB team on April 13, 2022, in Navi Mumbai. In his statement, which could not be proved in court, Musa allegedly claimed he was instructed by his business partner, a Tanzanian national named Zohoro, to receive a drug consignment from a South African traveller and send it to a woman in Delhi. Zohoro had provided him with a photo identity of Lemao. Despite the prosecution's claims against both men, the judge found Musa not guilty, leading to his acquittal.
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
White South African Farm Worker Says Boss Forced Him To Feed 2 Dead Black Women To Pigs
Last Updated: According to the man's lawyers, the farm owner forced him to feed the bodies to pigs. He turned state witness as the trial began and said his boss had shot and killed the two women A white South African farm worker, who is on trial for killing two black women, said his boss forced him to feed the bodies to pigs to dispose of evidence of the crime. Identified as 20-year-old Adrian de Wet, he is facing murder charges alongside his boss and farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier (60) and another employee William Musoro (45), who is a foreign national. They are accused of killing Lucia Ndlovu, 34, and Maria Makgato, 45, who allegedly wandered onto a farm looking for food near South Africa's Polokwane in the northern Limpopo province last year. According to De Wet's lawyers, Olivier forced him to feed the dead women to pigs. He turned state witness in the case when the trial began on Monday (August 4) and said his boss had shot and killed the two women. The BBC reported that all charges against De Wet will be dropped if the court accepts his testimony in the case that has stoked fury in a country rife with racial tensions. Prosecutors said the two black women were shot dead for alleged trespassing. The men appeared at the Limpopo Polokwane High Court, a regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA) told CNN. Earlier, the NPA said the trio 'are facing two counts of murder, attempted murder, three counts of defeating the ends of justice, and possession of firearms and ammunition". Police said the other employee, Musoro, is 'an illegal immigrant", who has been additionally charged with 'contravening sections of the illegal immigration act". They were not asked to enter a plea before the hearing was moved to August 7, NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi was quoted by CNN. WHAT IS THE CASE? The police said on August 20, 2024, the decomposed bodies of two black women were discovered 'in a pigsty on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng" following which the three men were arrested. 'The investigation began when a 45-year-old South African woman went missing after visiting the farm on 17 August (2024), accompanied by a 35-year-old foreign national woman," police said. 'Both women sustained gunshot wounds, and a 47-year-old foreign national man, who was with them escaped but was also shot and hospitalised." The survivor then told reporters that one of the murdered women was his wife and the other was their neighbour. They had entered the farm to collect expired and abandoned dairy products, he said. (With agency inputs) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
