Zimbabwean survivors are still waiting for answers and accountability

Published in November 2024, the Makin Review concluded that Smyth had subjected boys and young men to horrific physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse over many years.

Most importantly, it found that numerous individuals within the Church of England and associated organisations knew about the abuse from 1982 onwards but failed to report it to the authorities, enabling Smyth to move first to Zimbabwe and later to South Africa, where he continued to abuse children and young people. 

We represent a number of Zimbabwean survivors of John Smyth's abuse, who continue to seek answers, accountability and recognition for the harm they suffered.

The Makin Review made 27 recommendations, including a recommendation that Smyth's abuse in Zimbabwe be the subject of a dedicated review. 

The Church established the Makin Recommendations Task and Finish Group to scrutinise and oversee the implementation of Makin’s recommendations.

Nearly two years later, the Makin Recommendations Task and Finish Group has concluded its report. This report, which was recently presented to the General Synod, confirmed that Makin’s recommendation that Smyth’s abuse in Zimbabwe be subject to a dedicated review remains "ongoing", confirming that "no equivalent review has yet taken place in Zimbabwe". 

The Church of England says it has offered funding and support, but maintains that any review must be commissioned and led locally in Zimbabwe.

The Church's own report acknowledges that "the ultimate test" of safeguarding reform is whether victims and survivors experience a Church that "places their safety and wellbeing above institutional interests" and that success should be judged by the lived experience of those seeking "safety, support and justice". 

For many Zimbabwean survivors including our clients, these words ring hollow as their attempts to seek justice from the Church are ignored. 

Nearly two years after the publication of the Makin Review, survivors remain without answers as to what happened in Zimbabwe, who knew what, what opportunities existed to prevent further abuse, and why those opportunities were missed.

Many of those survivors are our clients. They have engaged with this process in the hope that the truth about what occurred in Zimbabwe would finally be examined. If victims and survivors are truly being placed first, it is difficult to understand why one of Makin's key recommendations remains outstanding.