A search and rescue organisation is campaigning to stop the publication of a book about the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, a six-year-old girl from Middelpos, Saldanha, who went missing on February 19, 2024.

Monthany Hendricks, founder and president of Atlantis Search and Rescue, has launched a petition to boycott the book, accusing the author of exploiting national trauma for profit.

Speaking to IOL, Hendricks said: “The number of missing children is not just a statistic; it represents real lives, real pain, and countless families who wake up every day praying for answers. Many of these children are still missing, and their families continue to suffer in silence, clinging to hope.”

She added: “In the face of such devastation, brave individuals and organisations have stepped forward – not for fame or fortune, but out of pure humanity. Yet there are those who see an opportunity not to help, but to profit.”

Hendricks accused Greg Clifton, founder of the non-profit organisation Pay It Forward, of doing just that with his upcoming book.

“It is not a tribute. It is not awareness. It is exploitation, plain and simple. He is attempting to turn grief into income, using the anguish of families and the pain of a grieving nation as a marketing tool,” she said.

Hendricks has called for the book’s cancellation, saying it “should never have been approved for publication.”

A petition on Change.org calling for the book to be pulled had garnered 627 signatures at the time of publication. The release date is set for December 1, 2025, with pre-orders already open.

Responding to the backlash, Clifton told IOL the book was still being written and might not be published by the planned date. “It still has to go through proofreading, editing, printing and binding,” he said.

Clifton rejected the claim that the book focuses solely on Joshlin, saying it chronicles his experiences, searches, and interactions since he first contacted Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, on February 20, 2024.

He said he had since spoken to Smith multiple times, both before and after her sentencing in May 2025, when she, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced to life imprisonment for trafficking in persons and 10 years for kidnapping Joshlin.

“In April, I again dealt with Kelly while she was in Pollsmoor Prison. There was no thought of a book at the time,” he said. Clifton said he met with both Appollis and Van Rhyn in prison and had driven Boeta’s mother to visit him at Brandvlei Prison.

He also claimed to have shown CCTV stills to Joshlin’s father, Jose “Josh” Emke, who allegedly identified the girl in the footage as his daughter.

Clifton noted that the latest police search in Saldanha, conducted in July, followed a tip-off he relayed from Smith, who had dreamt of an area where Joshlin might be found.

“There is still concern about alerting those who have Joshlin,” he said, explaining that the book would not disclose all details to avoid compromising the case.

He said his intent was simply to document his personal experiences, adding: “I never met Joshlin. I didn’t know about her until February 20, 2024.”

IOL News

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