Zimbabwean survivors of John Smyth launch legal claim against Church of England for abuse

SEVEN Zimbabwean victims of British evangelist and sexual abuser John Smyth have launched a legal claim against the Church of England, alleging that senior clergy orchestrated a cover-up that allowed him to continue abusing boys in Africa, possibly in South Africa.

- JONISAYI MAROMO

The group, represented by UK law firm Leigh Day, includes six men who were abused as teenagers at Christian holiday camps Smyth ran in Zimbabwe, and the mother of Guide Nyachuru, a 16-year-old boy whose body was found in a swimming pool at one of Smyth's camps in 1992.

Their claim argues that the Church of England’s failure to report Smyth's known abuse in Britain between 1982 and 1984 directly led to his relocation to Zimbabwe — and later South Africa — where he continued to prey on vulnerable boys. The victims say there is a direct line between the Church's inaction in the UK and the horrors that unfolded in Africa.

In England, Smyth, a barrister and lay preacher, is known to have beaten boys naked in a purpose-built, soundproofed shed in his garden, often for hours at a time. Victims were left bleeding and humiliated, some forced to wear adult nappies to stem the bleeding. An internal church investigation at the time acknowledged the criminality of his actions, but no report was made to police. Instead, Smyth was quietly encouraged to leave the country.