The panel of inquiry appointed by the Anglican Church of South Africa (ACSA) has released its 29-page report into its investigation of the former British lawyer and camp master, John Smyth.
Although no submissions were received by the panel of inquiry investigating possible abuse by Smyth in South Africa, the panel did find that “from 2001 on, young members of ACSA were exposed to real risk of Smyth perpetrating in South Africa the serial abuse documented in the UK and Zimbabwe”.
Canadian-born Smyth was found to have been a serial abuser by the Church of England's Makin Review, published on 7 November 2024.
The Review found that Smyth, between the late 1970s and early 1980s, had in secret perpetrated vicious physical assaults of a sadistic nature by caning boys and young men until they bled.
Several victims described “experience of sexual abuse, particularly John Smyth kissing and then draping himself and/or his arms over them, nakedness and other indicators of sexual abuse”.
The Review found that Smyth perpetrated grooming and physical abuse of young men in the UK and Zimbabwe over decades.
Smyth died in August of 2018.
Two weeks after the Makin Review was published, the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba requested an inquiry with a focus pertinent to ACSA.
“The Archbishop expressed serious concern, in broad summary, about (a) potential cases of abuse perpetrated by Mr Smyth in South Africa related to any participation by him in ACSA-related activities; (b) communications with ACSA relating to Mr Smyth's presence and possible activities in South Africa; (c) the identification of any failures by ACSA itself related to (a) and (b), the implicating of conclusions for (a) Safe and Inclusive Church," the report reads.
The ACSA panel comprised Justice lan Farlam, a former judge of South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal and the ACSA Provincial Chancellor, and Dr Mamphela Ramphele, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town and a former Managing Director of the World Bank.
A third member, Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC KC, withdrew after he was the subject of a report of abuse himself. Makgoba plans to announce his response to the report at a news conference in Cape Town on Tuesday morning at 11am.
“The Makin Review reports Mr and Mrs Smyth as attending a non-ACSA church, His People Church in Glenwood, Durban. Nothing is documented in the Makin Review or otherwise known to us, regarding his activities there...
“It appears that in 2003 or 2004 the Smyths joined an ACSA Durban congregation, St Martin-in-the-Fields. There Smyth from time to time preached, became a member of a home group, and of a team running confirmation classes (which would have brought him in contact with young people), from time to time. He was also actively involved in arranging at least one confirmation camp,” the report mentions.
“It appears that the Smyths became residents of a Cape Town suburb, Bergyliet, in 2005 and became parishioners at the local ACSA church, St Martin's. The diocesan records reflect that Smyth was not licensed for any ACSA ministry. Nor is there any ACSA record of any complaints or allegations pertaining to Mr Smyth,” the report reads.
“The then Rector, the Revd Allan Smith received a letter from the Smyths in December 2013 stating their intention to move to a non-ACSA worshipping community in Cape Town, Church-on-Main. It records that Smyth had preached occasionally over the years and had been part of the Alpha course (an outreach programme). It also refers to ‘our UCT student work’,” the report reads.
On 27 January 2014 the Reverend Smith notified Bishop Garth Counsell, the Bishop of Table Bay in the Diocese of Cape Town, that Smyth "about whom you had some concern" had resigned from his parish. He noted that "[o]n the one hand it may be some relief and on the other hand one never quite knows what their motive or purpose is? Is it healthy for folk to hop from church to church".
On 8 February 2017 Reverend Smith was forwarded a communication (from a journalist) by Church-on-Main to its members a week after a Channel 4 expose on Smyth. The expose contained allegations of terrible misconduct by Smyth in the past in the UK.
It noted that "a fair number of members of people from Church-on-Main, well as other churches, have had moments of counselling and group discipleship with John”.
Reverend Smith immediately in turn forwarded the communication to churchwardens of St Martin's, Bergvliet and to Bishop Counsell, noting in his email that “fortunately John was not in a leadership position…nor did he counsel or disciple any young people".
The report states that, ”We have asked that ACSA records be checked for any reports or complaints regarding Smyth's conduct while a member of the ACSA parishes of St Martin-in-the Fields, Durban or St Martin's Bergvliet. We have been advised that there are no such reports or complaints recorded”.
“No such reports or complaints have been conveyed to us in response to the public invitation to make submissions to us following our appointment in November 2024.”
The report stated that no report relating to Smyth's conduct in Zimbabwe was conveyed to ACSA prior to or after his departure from that country and settling in South Africa.
“Our inquiry, limited as it is to the matters stated in our TOR (Terms of Reference), does not include a review of ACSA's dealing with abuse generally. But inevitably it throws some matters into sharp focus.
“One is the disturbing delay already noted, at least since 2018, in fully implementing measures evolved over two decades to grapple effectively with abuse within the church and church-related institutions, such as schools and children's homes.
“We do not consider that the Pastoral Standards alone afforded members of ACSA sufficient protection against conduct such as that documented in the Makin Review and Coltart Report (Zimbabwean lawyer David Coltart launched an investigation in May 1993), and that there was a serious risk of such conduct being repeated in South Africa by Smyth after his arrival in 2001.”
The report said it considered delays in implementation “since 2016 of Safe Church are a cause for serious concern, raising the risk that similar or other abusive conduct goes undetected and is not the subject of effective protective measures,” the report reads.
“We note the need for this report to be considered in its application not only to ACSA, but to all ACSA-related entities, particularly what are termed church schools and children's homes. Over the years, including in the most recent time, instances of serious physical and sexual abuse involving learners have continued to present themselves,” the report highlighted.