Arson suspect returns to court over Kelly Smith's shack fire

The woman accused of burning down Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith’s home is expected back in court next week following her appearance in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday. 

Monique Kekana, 27, was arrested on Friday night at the scene in Middelpos, Saldanha Bay.

The incident happened just hours after Smith, the mother of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and their friend Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking at the Western Cape High Court.

Joshlin went missing from her home on February 19, 2024.

She had been in the care of Appollis when she vanished around 2pm. She had missed school, her mom said she had been unwell, and also that her uniform was dirty.

The trio was arrested two weeks after the incident.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie said: “Saldanha SAPS registered an arson case for investigation after Kelly Smith's Middelpos dwelling was destroyed by a fire. An adult female was arrested."

Kekana made a brief appearance and elected a Legal Aid lawyer to represent her.

The mother of two is expected to return to court on May 12 for bail information. She was charged with arson. 

A neighbour, Janine Frans, said they believed the shack had been used for drugs.

“There was a party near Kelly’s house, and we talked about the dangers of having it there as it stood empty. We saw drug addicts walk in and out of the house.”

After the place was destroyed, the police arrived on Sunday to dig where the shack once stood.

Another resident, Natasha Maarman, said if the shack had not been burned down, they would still be wondering if there was something buried under it.

“We wanted to know whether there were remains of Joshlin buried there. No one has been staying there, and we were all scared when people went through the window and smoked drugs there.”

Meanwhile, as questions about the whereabouts of Joshlin remain, police said they had reunited 17 968 missing persons with their loved ones since 2020. 

These were adults and children that were reported as missing at police stations across the country. 

Of the figure, the number of adults found through intelligence and meticulous detective work is 15 005 adults. 

2963 are children under 18 years of age, with 1919 being female, and 967 male children. 

SAPS divers recovered an additional 3099 bodies from water sources such as rivers and dams. These were people that had drowned. The teams also assisted in rescue efforts of 2577 persons from water sources. 

“The SAPS remains committed to its mandate of serving and protecting all people living in South Africa and reminds everyone that there is no waiting period to report a loved one missing. 

“The SAPS advises anyone who may suspect that a loved one has gone missing to immediately report their friends or family members missing at their nearest police station. The reporting must be accompanied by the latest photograph of the missing child or adult, together with information on what they were wearing or where they were last seen,” Saps spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said. 

During missing persons investigations, SAPS said it appoints a multidisciplinary team to handle these cases which include seasoned detectives, crime and counter intelligence officers, the Hawks, K9 search and rescue, cyber crime unit and where necessary the police diving unit.

Cape Times