Shaft 11, Stilfontein - Reflections and Condolences - Thabo Makgoba

On his Truth to Power TV interview on the eNCA channel in December, Prof “JJ” Onkgopotse Tabane, asked me: “Father, what is the church doing about the mine workers trapped in the Stilfontein (Shaft 11) mine?” I responded that we are praying; we regret the attitude and comments of government leaders who wanted to “smoke them out”; and I added, “Some SACC [SA Council of Churches] leaders have paid a visit to the site.” *

Today, I am sad as I watch on TV and see the pathology services vans parked near the gaping hole of Shaft 11 and evidence of bodies recovered from up to one or two kilometres underground. (Non-South African readers can see the background to this tragedy here:

https://apnews.com/article/miners-mine-south-africa-dead-80a1a4809371269b592bf3e2695540ba)

Stilfontein Mine, to the west of Johannesburg, where my dad eked out his earnings from miners for our family's livelihood, is now a place where miners lost their lives, not due to the health and safety challenges as a result of poor mining practices, but due to workers having starved to death. Yet again, this tragedy leaves another deep wound in the heart of our nation. It opens our Marikana pain, the pain we suffered from the police killings at that platinum mine in North West Province.

Will the suffering ever end for people on the margins of our society? Yes, we are grateful for the lives of those saved in a difficult rescue operation, and grateful to the mining companies represented on the Minerals Council for helping pay for the rescue operations. But this is a moment of profound grief and shock, and also a moment to reflect on the systemic injustices, the economic desperation, and the human dignity often overlooked in our society.

++Thabo Makgoba

January 15, 2025

* See the SACC's statement here: https://anglicanchurchsa.org/sacc-statement-on-stilfontein-mine-tragedy/

Statement by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba on the Panel of Inquiry into Smyth abuse case

On November 22nd, 2024 I appointed a high-level inquiry into the implications for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa of a Church of England review of serial violent abuse by Mr John Smyth in the UK and Zimbabwe in the 1980s and 1990s. I appointed former Supreme Court of Appeal judge Ian Farlam, former UCT vice-chancellor Dr Mamphela Ramphele and Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC KC to conduct the inquiry.

On the evening of Thursday January 16th, 2025 I received a letter concerning a quite separate allegation of abuse, in which the complainant said that if Advocate Gauntlett did not step down from the panel by January 31st, he (the complainant) would make the allegation public. Without further communication, the complainant later that evening published details of his allegations on social media. No complaint is known to have been made to Safe Church (ACSA’s specialist safeguarding body) or to the church itself on the matter over the past 40 years.

On the morning of Friday January 17th, Advocate Gauntlett proposed that in the circumstances created by the letter he step down from the panel, conveying a concern that the work of the Smyth inquiry not be in any way delayed or obstructed by the issue. I accepted his offer, subject to consultation with other members of the panel. As someone whose handling of the Smyth matter is being investigated by the panel, I have kept a distance from its work but felt that in the circumstances I needed to take this step.

I held those consultations at Bishopscourt in Cape Town today, and have accepted Advocate Gauntlett's offer on the well-recognised principle in the law that even the appearance of a conflict of interest can be enough to trigger a recusal from a matter. Justice Farlam and Dr Ramphele have accepted Advocate Gauntlett's decision with regret, and have agreed that they will continue the Panel’s inquiry to completion. It is expected that this will be accomplished shortly.

I await the panel's judgment on the effectiveness of our efforts to eliminate abuse within the church, and my heart goes out to victims and survivors of Smyth. My heart breaks when I recall the account in the Church of England's Makin report of the violence and pain that they went or are still going through.

[VIDEOS: News clips; FULL TEXT] Archbishop's sermon - Christmas Eve 2024 - St George's Cathedral

Excerpt from the Archbishop's sermon:

Midnight Mass – Christmas Eve

24^th December 2024

Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr

The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba

Archbishop of Cape Town

Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

May I speak in the name of God who is Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen.

On this holy night, on behalf of the Cathedral, the Diocese and the Province, I wish each one of you a blessed and peaceful Christmas. And I warmly welcome all of you, whether you are worshipping here or online.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to plan this service tonight, a service which has come to play such an important part in the life of the city and the Diocese, a service that celebrates the love that God has for each one of us, a love so deep, so profound, that the incarnate God becomes one of and with us. Thank you to our magnificent choir, Director of Music and Organist for giving us a glimpse of heaven. Thank you to the Lay Ministers, to the Verger, Greg, to all the staff of the Cathedral, and to the Chancellor, the Church Wardens and the Cathedral Council, for the time, energy and care you bring to your tasks.

Archbishop announces panel to review handling of abuse reports

 Bishopscourt has released the following statement from Archbishop Thabo Makgoba:

“I am pleased to report that following a meeting with the church's legal advisers and our Safe and Inclusive Church Commission at Bishopscourt in Cape Town today, three prominent South Africans experienced in human rights issues have agreed to review my and the church's past actions in relation to the John Smyth abuse scandal.

“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.

“In the past week, it has become clear that 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. However, our Safe and Inclusive Church Commission has re-circulated its contact details, and should any complaints be received in future, they will be handled by the Commission.

“For someone in the church, which is meant to be a safe and nurturing space, to prey on God's children when they are at their most vulnerable is evil beyond description. We must eradicate it, root and branch. My hope is that this panel will make recommendations which help us to achieve that. I am profoundly grateful to the members of the panel for agreeing to serve.”

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba's sermon at the Institution of the Minister-in-Charge of Emmanuel Church, Cape Town

Institution of the Minister-in-Charge of Emmanuel Church, and Associate Rector in the Parish of St John the Evangelist

17th November 2024

Readings: 1 Maccabees 2: 29 -50; Psalm 144; Matthew 23: 13-24

May I speak in the name of God who calls, informs and transforms us. Amen.

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, dear family of Emmanuel Church in plurality with St John the Evangelist-Wynberg, I am pleased to be with you this afternoon and celebrate this important day – the institution of your new Minister-in-Charge.

Statement to South African media on Church of England abuse report

The Archbishop's office has received requests for comment by South African news outlets suggesting that he and the Diocese of Cape Town failed to act on allegations of abuse in South Africa by the Briton, John Smyth, the subject of reports that he committed horrendous abuse in the UK and Zimbabwe. Neither the UK nor Zimbabwe are under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Bishopscourt issued the following immediate response today. A more comprehensive response from the Archbishop, dealing more broadly with the church's response to abuse, is forthcoming.

 Statement by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba on abuse by John Smyth: 

“One of our bishops in Cape Town received a letter in 2013 from an English bishop, outlining instances of past abuse committed by Smyth in the UK and Zimbabwe. The letter said Smyth was living at an address in Bergvliet but the English bishop did not know where or whether he might be attending church. No allegations of abuse committed in South Africa were made. 

“The local bishop concerned was told by St Martin's Church in Bergvliet that Smyth had worshipped in their church previously... [Note] St Martin's reported that Smyth neither counselled young people, nor were any allegations of abuse or grooming made against Smyth by any member.

“I became aware of the matter in 2017, when Channel Four in the UK broadcast an expose of Smyth's abuse. Since no allegations of abuse within the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa were made, and Smyth had not been worshipping at an Anglican Church in South Africa for many years, no disciplinary action by the church or criminal complaint to the police was possible.

“In 2020, I learned that before Smyth's death in 2018, he had asked to worship again at St Martin's. They had permitted him to attend services on condition that he was not to get involved in any ministry or contact any young person. He attended services there in the final months of his life.

“The Anglican Church of Southern Africa is an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion, whose laws and governance are independent of those of the Church of England. I and our bishops are accountable only to our own church's members to ensure that all our churches are safe spaces within which to worship and minister.

“We have a Safe and Inclusive Church Commission whose operations are explained here: https://anglicanchurchsa.org/safe-church-guide/ The Commission acts vigorously and pro-actively – sometimes to the discomfort of our leaders – in response to reports of abuse. Victims of abuse can report it confidentially to: safechurches@anglicanchurchsa.org.za. 

“While no evidence has been forthcoming as to whether John Smyth committed any abuse in South Africa, I believe it necessary that our church ought to consider establishing an inquiry to advise on whether the Diocese of Cape Town, and I personally, have acted in this matter in accordance with our obligations to keep our members safe. To that end, I am seeking advice from our church's Chancellors and Registrars, who give us legal advice, and the Safe and Inclusive Church Commission.”

[Note: The original post of this statement said Smyth had been at St Martin's "for a year or two when he came to Cape Town" and that, from  the Makin report, "it appears this must have been before 2005." This was wrong. Correspondence received at Bishopscourt after the issue of the statement indicates he was at St Martin's at a later date, and resigned in December 2013.]