A social worker revealed that Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly’s drug addiction had been affecting her family since at least 2016.

Smith, along with the two co-accused Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking related to the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin.

Social worker Sineziwe Mbambo testified in the Western Cape High Court held at the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre.

She was asked to compile a report on the Smith family after Joshlin’s disappearance and discovered records from February 2016 revealing that Kelly was abusing drugs while pregnant with Joshlin. At the time, her eldest child was living with her grandmother, who sought social services’ help due to neglect and even filed for a protection order against Smith.

By July 2017, social services found that the grandmother had evicted Kelly from her home because she was still using drugs