The "Oprah" Trial: A History
An exclusive report on the sexual abuse case that tarnished Oprah's South African School—and an interview with the dorm matron at the center of the scandal.
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Winfrey inspects construction of her school for underprivileged girls with best friend and business partner Gayle King on August 10, 2006. The -million state-of-the-art campus occupies 52 acres in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa.
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Three thousand girls clamored for a spot at The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls, the fulfillment of a promise Winfrey made to former South African president Nelson Mandela. Only 152 girls made the cut. Here, Oprah hugs a would-be student.
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Winfrey stops for a publicity shot in one of the brand-new bedrooms. Dorm matron Tiny Makopo would later be accused of getting into bed with a 14-year-old and sexually harassing her at night.
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A candidate for the school wraps up her interview with Winfrey. Some of the girls selected came from families living in shacks, without electricity or indoor plumbing. All had high hopes of lifting their families out of poverty.
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On January 2, 2007, the talk show queen jubilantly cut the ribbon at the official opening of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
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Four days later, Winfrey took an HIV test in front of her students in an effort to encourage the girls to get tested themselves, and talk more openly about the disease. She also promised free AIDS testing, counseling, and treatment, if needed.
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Tiny Virginia Makopo, back right, is covered by a friend as she leaves the Seboken Magistrate Court on November 5, 2007. Allegations against the dorm matron first surfaced in October, when a group of girls approached the school's CEO, John Samuels.
Themba Hadebe/AP Photo
Later that day, Winfrey appeared live on a ten-foot television screen at a South African hotel to offer her apologies and answer questions about Makopo's arrest. She called the incident "one of the most devastating" experiences of her entire life.
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Makopo, pictured in court on April 21, 2008, has pleaded not guilty to all counts. The girls are testifying against her from another room, on a closed-circuit TV, so that they will not have to face Makopo in person.
Jerome Delay/AP Photo
Makopo's trial began this summer under a near media blackout, before being suspended for two months for unknown reasons. Here, she stands in a dock at the start of her trial in July. "I don't dream," Makopo told The Daily Beast. "My life is fucked."
Themba Hadebe/AP Photo
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