Smyth lectured on masturbation, sometimes led prayers naked, and promoted naked trampolining. This activity was what he described as “flappy jumping.” All the actions were mentioned in an investigation by Zimbabwean lawyer David Coltart, which began in May 1993.
After Smyth thrashed the boys with the infamous ping-pong bat called a “TTB”, the parents were led to the door of Coltart, who works at a law office in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city.
She wanted to know why one of her sons had a bruise so bad on his hip that she took him to the doctor after returning from holiday camp, where he found a “12cm x 12cm bruise”.
“She saw this and demanded to know what happened. Then she found out that her son had been beaten naked and badly and she asked me for advice,” Coltart, who is now mayor of Bulawayo, told the BBC.
“I am a Presbyterian elder, and when I heard that this group was a Christian group, I contacted the pastor, the Baptist Methodist Church and two other churches in the city, and then received instructions. The church will look into the matter.” said.
Jason Leanders, 44, who went to the camp shortly after his guide’s death, said he was beaten three to four times a day by Smith. Smith would put his hand down his pants to make sure he wasn’t wearing any extra clothing. To cushion his butt.
“My ass was black,” he told the BBC. “But you act tough because you’re a guy.”
Former Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga, who attended the camp the night his guide died, said in his 2015 autobiography that corporal punishment was considered “normal” for many boarding school students.
But after Coltart tracked down the Rushton report, the severity of the problem became clear. He wrote to Smyth, instructing him to stop the Zambesi ministry camp immediately.
“It was calculated. He focused on boys. He groomed young men. He encouraged them to shower naked. There was a pattern of violence,” he said.
However, Coltart’s dealings with Smyth were difficult.
“He was a very articulate man and very aggressive in his meetings with me. He used all his skills as a lawyer to intimidate. He was older than me. I was a relatively young lawyer in my 30s at the time. He said he was a British QC ( I took advantage of the fact that it was Queen’s Counsel.”
Rather than comply with Coltart’s various requests, he described himself as “the father of camp” and advocated nudity and corporal punishment in a letter to parents ahead of the camp in August 1993, writing: But he can also swing a ping pong bat when needed. Although most people think TTB (as it is affectionately known) is nothing more than a joke.”
This time, it seems, the beatings were not disguised as “spiritual discipline”, as was the case in England. He also admitted to Coltart that he had taken photos of the naked boys, but said they were taken “over the shoulder” for promotional purposes.
Coltart contacted two psychologists with his findings, both of whom advised that Smyth should stop working with children.
