Former Oprah School Matron Pleads Not Guilty to Abuse Charges

A former dormitory matron at Oprah Winfrey's South African girls school has pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse.

Virginia Makopo is accused of harassing and assaulting minors and soliciting them to perform indecent acts. She appeared in a court in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg Tuesday.

The judge in the case is allowing the teenagers to testify through closed-circuit television so they do not have to face their alleged attacker in court.

Winfrey, a U.S. talk show host and billionaire philanthropist, opened the $40-million Leadership Academy for Girls last year to help girls from poor backgrounds.

Winfrey has spoken in the past of suffering sexual abuse as a child. She has said she is devastated by the scandal at the school.