SALDANHA – In a swift response to a plea from Saldanha Mayor Andre Truter, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) has dispatched a team of policing resources to reinforce the search for six-year-old Joshlin Smith, who has been missing for over 10 days. The move comes after concerns were raised about the sustainability of the search effort following the withdrawal of resources from the South African Police Services (SAPS).
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis expressed the City’s commitment to the search, stating, “Our officers are already on the ground this morning to support the search effort for Joshlin Smith. As parents ourselves, it is extremely painful and distressing that this little girl is still missing. We pray she is found soon. We are glad to contribute these policing resources following discussions with Mayor Truter late yesterday evening.”
The City’s response includes investigators, K9 unit search dogs, Marine Unit members, watercraft, and experienced search and rescue volunteers. Drones are also being utilized to enhance the search efforts. Mayor Hill-Lewis assured that the dispatched teams possess extensive experience in assisting SAPS and have specialized search and rescue expertise.
Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, emphasized the collaborative efforts between municipalities, saying, “We initiated workstreams between municipalities to ensure that we are able to respond when called upon.”
However, despite the coordinated response, critics are pointing fingers at the delay in mobilizing resources. Joshlin Smith has been missing since Monday afternoon, February 19, and the 10-day gap has raised questions about the delay in deploying additional resources.
While the City of Cape Town’s commitment is appreciated, the initial retraction of resources and the delayed response has left many frustrated and anxious. The criticism underscores the importance of timely and efficient coordination in missing persons’ cases to maximize the chances of a successful outcome.
The Cape Navigator have submitted potentially crucial information to the lead investigator and we remain hopeful that it or any other leads from the community may help in delivering a critical breakthrough needed in the search for Joshlin.
Anyone with any information that can help locate Johslin should contact the lead investigator Sergeant MA Milstein on 0217148617.
As the search re-intensifies, the community remains hopeful for Joshlin’s safe return, and the focus shifts to ensuring that lessons are learned from this experience to improve future response times in similar situations.
