A panel has been appointed by Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba to review the handling of abuse reports involving late former British lawyer, John Smyth.
South African civil society leader, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, South African and British barrister Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC KC, and retired judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Ian Farlam, will conduct the review and make recommendations to the Archbishop.
Makgoba appointed the panel to review the handling by the Anglican Church in South Africa regarding Smyth who is accused of having committed sexual abuse and “scandalous abuse in England and Zimbabwe” of at least 85 boy victims.
The panel was appointed following a meeting with the church's legal advisers and Safe and Inclusive Church Commission (SAIC) at Bishopscourt in Cape Town, last week.
The appointments come on the heels of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) deciding to launch an inquiry into the alleged illicit activity of Smyth after the diocese of Cape Town received a warning in 2013 from a bishop in the Church of England.
Since then the Makin report detailed that Smyth had moved to Zimbabwe in July 1984 and to South Africa in August 2001.
The report called for a full independent review of Smyth’s activities in the countries.
“The review panel comprises the civil society leader, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC KC, Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, and Judge Ian Farlam, Provincial Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, who chaired the Commission of Inquiry into the killing of miners at Marikana in 2012.
“They will carry out a retrospective analysis of our handling of reports received by the church, including a letter from the Diocese of Ely in 2013, reporting a historical case of abuse in Britain in 1981-82, a suspected case in Zimbabwe in the 1990s, and alerting us that Smyth was living in Cape Town. They will make recommendations to me as to further action,” said Makgoba.
According to Makgoba, it was confirmed last week that prior to his death, Smyth was a member of three Anglican congregations in South Africa - two in Durban in the early 2000s and one in Cape Town, first for a period until December 2013, and later for some months before his death in 2018.
“To date, we have not found any cases of abuse reported to the Anglican Church in South Africa,” said Makgoba. Makgoba said “no cases of abuse by Smyth in South Africa have been reported to the church to the knowledge of current leadership”.
SAIC has urged any persons with complaints relating to the Smyth matter to contact SAIC for it to be dealt with by the Commission.
Reacting to the panel appointments, Reverend June Dolley-Major said the panel should be independent.
“It should be independent and away from the church.
“The church cannot be judge and jury of itself. It does sadden me that it had to take this exposure from the UK, for the Archbishop to act. Information was sent through a few years ago and no action was taken,” said Dolley-Major.
SAIC has urged people affected by abuse within the church to report this to safechurches@anglicanchurchsa. org.za
Cape Times