Top Anglican quits over sex assault claims

● A sexual assault scandal has rocked the Anglican Church in KwaZulu-Natal.

Less than two years after being consecrated as a bishop, Bishop Monument Makhanya of the Zululand diocese will step down at the end of this month in the wake of allegations of sexual assault laid against him by a younger priest.

In a letter addressed to congregants late last year, Makhanya said: “An allegation has been made against me by one of our clergy. I appeared before the archbishop on Monday October 15 and the archbishop subsequently appointed a committee to do a consultation with me and the said cleric, each stating their case. I must mention that after both appearances, I came back broken into a 1,000 pieces. I regret the allegations and pray for God’s mercy.”

It is alleged the sexual assault took place last year.

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba told the Sunday Times he was shocked and distressed when he heard the allegation.

“The complainant initially delayed putting his account in writing, saying he was not emotionally ready to do so. When he did lodge a written complaint at my insistence, I followed our church’s guidelines and appointed a team, including a senior bishop and a church lawyer, who met both the complainant and the bishop. After they reported back to me, I met Bishop Makhanya, at which time he indicated that he would resign,” Makgoba said.

Makgoba told the Sunday Times he was consulting church lawyers and other bishops on the next steps to be taken and said the complainant was receiving pastoral support.

Makhanya did not respond to calls or questions sent via text message.

This is not the first sex scandal the Anglican Church has had to deal with. In March last year, award-winning author Ishtiyaq Shukri issued a statement detailing years of abuse at the hands of priests in Kimberley.