Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie claims South Africans would have forgotten about missing Joslin Smith if he and his party had not kept her disappearance in the headlines.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture made the claim during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday evening, 25 October.
According to a report, McKenzie credited himself and the PA with keeping Joslin’s case in the public eye, more than two-and-a-half years after she vanished from Saldanha Bay.
His comments came days after Joslin marked her ninth birthday on Friday, 23 October.
GAYTON MCKENZIE DEFENDS PA MEDIA BAN
McKenzie made the remarks while defending the PA’s decision to stop granting interviews to South African media outlets.
He announced the ban on Sunday, 18 October, after accusing the media of negative reporting about his party.
During his latest live, McKenzie argued that the PA had played a crucial role in drawing national attention to Joslin’s disappearance.
He claimed the public would have moved on from her case without his party’s involvement.
The outspoken politician has faced criticism over his involvement in the investigation, but he insists he remains committed to finding the missing girl.
‘I BELIEVE JOSLIN IS STILL ALIVE’
McKenzie also dismissed suggestions that Joslin had died, insisting he still believes she is alive.
“The moment I think Joslin is dead, I have to stop looking for her,” he said, translated from Afrikaans.
“I believe Joslin is still alive. You may believe Joslin is dead, but I believe she is still alive.”
McKenzie previously claimed to have obtained new information about Joslin’s disappearance and launched a foundation in her name earlier this year.
JOSLIN SMITH STILL MISSING
Joslin disappeared from her Middelpos home in Saldanha Bay on 19 February 2024. She was just six years old.
Her mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn are serving life sentences for human trafficking.
The Western Cape High Court sentenced the trio on 29 May 2025 and handed them additional 10-year sentences for kidnapping, which run concurrently.
Despite the convictions, investigators have yet to find Joslin.
Her disappearance continues to raise questions about what happened to her and whether she is still alive.
Police have kept the investigation open.