Anglican Church of Southern Africa Issues Apology for Harm Caused by Child Abuser

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has publicly apologized for not safeguarding its congregants from John Smyth, a prolific child abuser who lived in the region for years. An independent investigation revealed that church leadership did not act adequately to prevent potential harm to children despite prior warnings about Smyth's abusive past.

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa (Acsa) has issued a heartfelt apology regarding its failure to protect children and young people from the peril posed by John Smyth, a notorious British child abuser who relocated to South Africa in 2001. Smyth, a senior barrister who passed away in 2018, was responsible for the abuse of over 100 boys and young men in the UK and Zimbabwe during the 1970s and 1980s, where many victims were encountered through Christian camps he organized.

The fallout from the situation has been significant, culminating in the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, last year following the release of an independent investigation into Smyth’s actions. The review found that Welby and other church leaders could have and should have reported Smyth to authorities in the UK and South Africa in 2013, when first alerted to his past.

Smyth, who moved from England with his family to Zimbabwe in 1984, had been previously investigated for abuse but managed to evade significant repercussions. Following an inquiry into his conduct in Zimbabwe, he moved to South Africa in 2001. A new inquiry, initiated by Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba, concluded that, while no similar abuses were recorded in South Africa, there was a high risk that further abuse could have occurred, given the environment.

The findings outlined that although Acsa did not receive prior warnings about Smyth's activities until 2013, the church's communication regarding these warnings between then and Smyth's death in 2018 was inadequate. It detailed Smyth's involvement in Anglican community activities in Durban and later Cape Town, where he was exposed to young children during confirmation classes and other church functions.

Despite no documented cases of abuse taking place in South Africa, the investigation highlighted a troubling reality — the church allowed such an individual to remain close to youth, thus putting them at risk. Archbishop Makgoba has recognized these failures and has vowed to implement urgent measures to prevent such oversights from happening in the future.

This scandal not only sheds light on the systemic issues within the church but also emphasizes the ongoing need for vigilance and reform in protecting vulnerable individuals within faith communities.