Zimbabweans are calling for further accountability within the Church of England amid allegations of a cover-up involving a church volunteer who abused numerous boys in both Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.
The church recently disclosed the findings of an independent inquiry regarding British national John Smyth, revealing a history of sexual, psychological and physical abuse against approximately 30 boys and young men in the UK and 85 in Africa from the 1970s until his death in 2018.
In response to the report, Church of England’s head Justin Welby resigned on Tuesday in the wake of public outcry over his failure to promptly report Smyth’s repeated physical and sexual abuses to the authorities once he became aware of them.
Demanding greater accountability, the family of a Zimbabwean victim has urged additional Church of England officials to acknowledge their roles in the cover-up and follow Welby’s lead in stepping down from their positions.
Edith Nyachuru, whose brother tragically died under suspicious circumstances at one of Smyth’s camps in 1992, criticised the church’s handling of the situation.
She questioned the silence of many church leaders despite being aware of Smyth’s misconduct in both Zimbabwe and the UK.
Nyachuru told an investigation by the BBC that her family received an apology from Welby only in 2021, nearly three decades after her brother’s untimely death.
She is now advocating for the resignation of other senior church figures for their inaction.
A legal practitioner by trade, Smyth organised Christian summer camps in Zimbabwe and the UK, with his organisation receiving financial backing from the Church of England.
Reports of his misconduct in Zimbabwe emerged in the 1990s through an investigation by local lawyer David Coltart, outlining his abusive behaviour at Christian camps in the country.
Coltart this week noted the importance of addressing the enduring trauma caused by Smyth’s actions.
One of the victims said many of his friends are still “so traumatised by the beatings they are not even prepared to talk about it”.
JN/APA