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Drama at Oprah's South African School

The former dorm matron of Oprah's Academy is being been accused of sexually abusing children and being the source of physical violence at the institution. Definitely not a good look for Africa. Tiny Virginia Makopo, 28, of South Africa pleaded innocent on Tuesday to charges that she indecently assaulted and otherwise abused six teenagers and a fellow matron at Oprah's academy for South African girls. As reports have cited, Makopo looked nervous and sullen at the start of her trial. The presiding judge, Judge Thelma Simpson, granted a prosecution request for the rest of the proceedings to be closed to the public. She also is allowing the teenagers to testify through close-circuit TV to save them the trauma of confronting their alleged attacker in court. I doubt that Makopo will be found innocent (she's facing 14 charges) and will most likely have to serve the minimum 10 years behind bars if found guilty.  And rightfully so.  Regardless of how you feel about Oprah setting up her school in SA, the fact is the students were there to learn...not to be touched or abused by some pedophile. (Yes..pedophile.  Sorry, there is no innocent until proven guilty here - 'specially not when six little girls are all saying the same thing..why would they put themselves through that?  Hence...Makopo is a pedophile.) The story unfolded when the father of the first child to complain of abuse withdrew her from the school, after her complaints were ignored. Oprah claims she didn't get word of what was going on because school officials tried to hide the facts from her. She's already apologized and stated that she would not be renewing the contracts of those staff involved. The charges include:

• trying to kiss a 13-year-old with an open mouth, trying to fondle her breasts and getting the child to fondle her breasts.

• getting into the bed of a 14-year-old at night, kissing her and pulling her body closer.

• touching intimate body parts of the girls, but always through clothing.

• allegedly asking at least two of the girls to become lesbians, and one to kiss her as she would a boyfriend.

• allegedly accusing one 13-year-old of being a prostitute.

One incident described Makopo as throwing a 14-year-old onto a couch and forcing her to eat custard which she also rubbed into the girl's hair. The most extreme of the assault accusations has her pushing a 13-year-old against a wall and pressing her thumbs against the girl's windpipe. Makopo is charged with assaulting her fellow 23-year-old fellow dormitory matron, Promise Ngwedi, by pushing and shoving her at the academy. As reports have cited, Winfrey's US$40 million school was the fulfillment of a promise she made to former President Nelson Mandela and aims to give girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education and groom them for leadership positions in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of white-minority rule. South Africa already has one of the highest rates of child abuse and rape in the world, with children from poor black families most likely to be victims.  For this story to come out of such a situation, even under the auspices of what seems to be a noble effort, is more than disappointing...its disheartening. Your thoughts?