JOHANNESBURG - Joshlin Smith's disappearance has shone a light on the plight of many children who are neglected by parents struggling with drug abuse.
One anti-drug activist says the best way to save these kids is to take the parents through rehabilitation and ultimately reunite them with their kids.
"We're not saying remove each and every child, break up families, we are saying, ensure kids are safe, send the mother or the parents to rehab, and let's work on familiy reunification," said Dereleen James, anti-drug activist.
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"But with the shortage of children's homes, we don't see that happening.
"So removing that mother completely from a child, and placing that child in foster care of a different family, that parent goes further into using drugs, it's secondary trauma that you are imposing that user," she said.
"So the best scenario for me, and this is in the Children's Act also, the child goes into care and custody of a family member, the parent goes in for treatment into a rehabilitation centre, gradually the parent then gets allowed visitation rights and we look at reunification."