Cape Town tribunal finding on sexual assault case

The following is a summary of the judgement of a Diocesan Tribunal of the Diocese of Cape Town which was appointed to hear charges of misconduct against the Revd Melvin Booysen. The full text of the judgement follows below.

Summary of Tribunal Judgement: The Diocese of Cape Town: The Revd M Booysen

This year, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, in keeping with its longstanding commitment to address the lethal ABC of abuse, bullying and concealment in the Church, established a diocesan tribunal in Cape Town to give a fair and careful public hearing to complaints made by the Revd June Major against the Revd Melvin Booysen, and against the Church.

As Church our first obligation to June Major is to continue extending the compassion and respect to which she is entitled, and to offer such ministry as she may wish to receive.

This Tribunal unanimously finds the Revd Melvin Booysen NOT GUILTY of sexually assaulting June Major in Grahamstown in 2002. There is no evidence of the Complainant laying allegations or informing her Bishop prior to 2016, and no corroboration of them; we do not find her account consistent with a series of circumstantial factors in the story.

Booysen is not her rapist.

The Tribunal finds Booysen GUILTY of breaching Resolution of Permanent Force 5 which governs ministerial conduct for clergy and lay leaders in this Church, by apparently invading the Complainant’s private space in their lodgings; some therapy and retraining have been recommended to the Bishop.

Findings on the other charges are set out in the judgement and there is one dissenting opinion on the charge of harassment, which can be found there.

Mrs Major continues to represent herself as an active Anglican priest in good standing, which by her own choice, she has not been since she resigned some years ago. We recommend that the Bishop of Table Bay clarifies the truth to the public.

The reasoning on which the Tribunal based its findings will be introduced by the President at the announcement today, and opportunity will be given for clarification tomorrow when parties have had a chance to digest the judgement and formulate questions. Inquiries should be sent to the Tribunal’s email address (acsatribunal@gmail.com).

The Tribunal’s reasoning and conclusions are set out fully in the judgement released today, which appears below.

30 September 2021