CHILD
RAPE & ABUSE
Sex abuse at
Oprah Winfrey school, The Times, 30 July 2008
Oprah’s pupils tell of sex abuse
Khethiwe Mabena Published:Jul 30, 2008
Scared and emotional girls testify in-camera
Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey was not in court yesterday to hear girls
from her academy south of Johannesburg testify about the horrific sexual
assaults they have endured — but she will be kept well informed.
Winfrey’s eyes and ears at the case are those of her attorney, Elizabeth
Wore, who has special permission to attend the hearings, which are
closed to the public.
Wore was present for the start of the case against Tiny Virginia Makopo,
28, the former dormitory matron at the Oprah Winfrey Academy for Girls.
Makopo’s family was barred from court.
Makopo pleaded not guilty to 14 charges yesterday. She is accused of:
Calling a 13-year-old girl a “bitch” and a “prostitute”. She allegedly
told the girl she was dirty and acted like a lesbian;
Throwing a 14-year-old girl onto a couch, climbing on top of her and
forcing the girl to eat custard out of her hair;
Indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl by kissing her , touching her
breasts over her clothes and placing the girl’s hands on her breasts;
Committing indecent or immoral acts, including asking a student to
become a lesbian, and insisting that another girl “kiss her like she
would kiss a boyfriend”;
Indecently assaulting another 14-year-old girl whose room she entered at
night. Makopo allegedly climbed into her bed, hugged her, rubbed her
nose against the girl’s cheek, pulled her close and rubbed her breast
against the girl’s chest;
Crimen injuria: telling a pupil that she was stupid and did not deserve
to be at the academy;
Assaulting a 23-year-old female colleague by pushing her and pulling her
by her clothes; and
Holding a 14-year-old girl under a shower and hitting her.
Winfrey, herself a victim of childhood rape, was devastated by Makopo’s
arrest, shortly after her 40-million school for disadvantaged girls
opened. The school was the fulfilment of a promise made to former
president Nelson Mandela.
If found guilty, Makopo would face a minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Magistrate Thelma Simpson yesterday granted the state permission to have
the proceedings held in-camera following an application by prosecutor
Etienne Venter, who described the girls as “very, very scared and very
emotional”.
Simpson ruled that the girls should testify by closed-circuit TV and
that their identities and those of their families should not be
revealed. Six minors were expected to testify yesterday. Their evidence
is due to be concluded on Friday.