As part of a comprehensive investigation into the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith from Diazville in Saldanha Bay on the West Coast, police on Wednesday have confirmed that detectives are currently questioning four people.
“The four persons being interviewed by the team of investigators are two men and two women, aged between 26 and 34,” Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said.
“With the investigation gaining momentum arrests are on the cards.”
Potelwa said that as part of the extensive investigation currently under way, the detectives have been visiting several places and interviewing several people in connection with Joslin’s disappearance.
“It is envisaged that as the investigation unfolds light will be shed as to her whereabouts or what happened to her,” Potelwa said.
Joslin, a Grade 1 learner at Diazville Primary School, in Saldanha Bay, was last seen on Monday, February 19, at around 5pm.
A coordinated search for the six-year-old has been ongoing within an identified area in Diazville that was subdivided into zones that were the focus of the search.
According to the police, as the investigation progresses, arrests are likely, and it is expected that as the investigation progresses, more information about her whereabouts and what happened to her will become available.
The search for Joslin brought individuals, NGOs, community activists, police officials, the neighbourhood watch, and representatives from different spheres of government together in the quest to find the missing girl.
For days, they searched and identified vast areas in Saldanha Bay.
The investigation saw a team of detectives visit several places within the West Coast town and interview several other people.
Last week, Minister of Police Bheki Cele visited Smith’s family and addressed the people of the neighbourhood.
Cele and SAPS management assured the family of ongoing police efforts to expedite her safe return.
He requested calm during the community meeting in the face of finger-pointing and the spread of false information about the SAPS’s investigation into her disappearance.
“You are a community that has united through this trying time; don’t allow those who are trying to get political mileage out of the disappearance of a little girl to divide you. Unite and work with the police to bring her back home. From the police side, I want to assure you that no resource will be spared to find her; the police have not withdrawn from this search, and they are under a directive to work closer with anyone who comes up with any valuable information that can assist,’’ said Cele.
The Police Ministry assured the community of Diazville that police remained committed to finding the six-year-old and reuniting her with her family.
Police confirmed that a unit from the local South African Navy has joined the search, as has another large group from the City of Cape Town, which was deployed to the area on Monday.
The Saldanha Bay municipality’s firefighters are also helping with the search, using their experience. | Additional reporting by Robin-Lee Francke
The Star