Bar of South Africa refers sexual abuse allegations against advocate Jeremy Gauntlett for investigation

The General Council of the Bar (GCB) of South Africa has referred the sexual abuse allegations made against advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC to the Cape Bar and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates for investigation.

Gauntlett who is a former chair of the GCB has been accused of sexually abusing a young Hylton White, now a senior social anthropology lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Open letter

White, wrote an open letter to the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba accusing Gauntlett of abusing him in the 1980s when he was a teenager.

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GCB responds

The GCB said it was aware of articles that appeared in the news media over the weekend referring to serious allegations of historical sexual abuse levelled against Gauntlett.

“Allegations such as these are serious in the extreme and are of great concern to the greater South African public, the legal profession and the GCB.

“The GCB is a federal organisation and, in consequence, this matter has been referred to the Cape Bar and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates for their processes to take place. The GCB will closely monitor any and all processes undertaken,” it said.

The Citizen has reached out to Jeremy Gauntlett. His comments will be added to the story once received.

Child abuse probe

Makgoba appointed Gauntlett, Dr Mamphela Ramphele and retired Judge Ian Farlam to a three-person review panel in November last year to probe child abuse claims in the Anglican Church of South Africa.

Makgoba has confirmed accepting Gauntlett’s decision to step down from the church’s inquiry panel into serial child abuser John Smyth.

“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, said Makgoba

“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.”

Allegation against Gauntlett

The GCB emphasised that allegations against Gauntlett were “serious and warranted that the ensuing processes be undertaken with the utmost integrity.”

“The GCB reserves its comments on the matter at this stage, and whilst it adheres to its responsibility of upholding the highest ethical standards amongst the members of its constituent bars, it does not presume the outcome of the investigations and under the South African legal system – everyone is presumed innocent until they are found guilty,” it said.

Alleged sexual abuse

White said he met Gauntlett who is an aspirant Constitutional Court Judge while on holiday with his family in the Eastern Cape in the mid-1980s, early in his high school years when he was first abused.

White said he met Gauntlett who is an aspirant Constitutional Court Judge while on holiday with his family in the Eastern Cape in the mid-1980s, early in his high school years when he was first abused.

“There was never any coercive violence at any point. There was a repeat incident about a year later,” he claimed.

White, who took to social media, said he had only recently found out that Gauntlett had been included on the Smyth panel, prompting him to alert the Anglican Church that Gauntlett is ‘not of fit character to assess this matter’.

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