The Anglican Church of Southern Africa and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba have begun to confront questions of whether serial abuser John Smyth continued to abuse children while living there in exile. Smyth first moved from England to Zimbabwe in 1984 and then to Cape Town in 2001, according to the Makin Report.
Archbishop Makgoba’s responses to the Makin Report, and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation, mentioned his grief about the news, but were otherwise general and formal. A statement issued to South African media on November 15 acknowledged Smyth’s abuses in the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe, but added: “Neither the UK nor Zimbabwe are under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.” The five Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe are part of the Church of the Province of Central Africa.
The statement added: “We have a Safe and Inclusive Church Commission whose operations are explained here: https://anglicanchurchsa.org/safe-church-guide. The Commission acts vigorously and pro-actively — sometimes to the discomfort of our leaders — in response to reports of abuse.”
Makgoba showed deeper emotion on November 17, when he preached at a service welcoming the Rev. Delmaine Petersen as minister in charge of Emmanuel Church of Cape Town.
“The details of the abuse perpetrated by John Smyth in the 1980s and 1990s are enough to make you sick,” Makgoba said. “Archbishop Desmond Tutu used to say that no one is beyond the love of God, that no one is irredeemably evil, but I have to say that Smyth’s vicious and foul abuse of young men tests that belief.”
The archbishop added: “In the absence of any evidence that Smyth had committed abuse in the relatively short periods during which he had worshiped in our church, there was no action that could be taken under our Canons (church law). Nor did we know of any crime that he committed in South Africa, whether inside or outside our church, that could be reported to police. But the diocese and I are accountable to you, our church members, and to society, to ensure that all our churches are safe spaces in which to worship and minister.
“Consequently, I am consulting the Safe and Inclusive Church Commission, which pursues abuse cases vigorously, as well as our Chancellors and Registrars, who give us legal advice, to work out the terms of reference of a review of whether the diocese, and I personally, met our obligation to keep you safe, and what we could have done better.”
The Makin Report describes Smyth as continuing his abuse of young men and boys in Zimbabwe through a project called the Zambesi Holiday Camp. A passage about his activities in 1992 says this: “At least six Zambesi holiday camps take place throughout the year, led by John Smyth. Reports of regular abuse by John Smyth, including beating with table tennis bat, enforced nudity, naked swimming, and showering. John Smyth gives regular lectures about masturbation. He sleeps in dormitory area with boys rather than in the separate staff quarters.”
The report also says that in December 1992, “Guide Nyachuru, a 16-year-old boy, tragically dies whilst at Zambesi Holiday Camp. He is found in the swimming pool by a gardener early in the morning.”
The Makin Report also tells of an anonymous person returning an invitation to Tim Sterry of Iwerne Camps with this message: “Miscreants should be brought to justice, not sent abroad to save face; there they will no doubt find other victims. I am tempted to go public. Never bother me again.”
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
