'Angel of Soweto' case thrown out

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A South African court has thrown out charges of kidnap and assault against the woman dubbed the "Angel of Soweto".

Jackey Maarohanye became famous after getting South African ex-President Nelson Mandela's support to set up a trust to rehabilitate street children.

Ms Maarohanye and two others had been accused of the kidnap and beating of newspaper journalist Vusi Ndlovu.

He claimed he was beaten up when looking into allegations of missing donations and dubious fund-raising.

But the magistrate said he had decided to strike the case from the roll because of weak testimony by the reporter.

On Friday, Ms Maaronhanye was acquitted on separate charges of violence, but still faces a further charge of assault on a pupil.

Victory dance

Known to her pupils as "Mama Jackey", the Ithuteng Trust school principal had been celebrated for providing shelter and an education to thousands of traumatised and destitute children.

Their harrowing tales drew donations of millions of dollars from luminaries such as Mr Mandela and US TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

But a South African TV documentary, Carte Blanche, a year ago revealed claims that Ms Maarohanye pressured pupils into reciting fabricated tales of murdered parents, rape and destitution.

Some of the alleged orphans, who had been taken to the United States by Ms Maarohanye to give testimony to the United Nations and then US President Bill Clinton, were shown living at home with parents who were still alive.

The documentary producer Odette Schwegler was quoted as saying "at no point has (Jackey Maarohanye) or anyone else said that this was not true".

The programme also alleged that some donations had "gone astray" while children at the school were going hungry.

Subsequently newspaper reporters said they found it difficult to get pupils and staff at the school in Klipspruit - in Soweto township near Johannesburg - to speak about the allegations, because they said they were terrified of "Mama".

It was in this climate that in February the reporter for the Sowetan newspaper, Mr Ndlovu, claimed that he had gone to the school to investigate the allegations, only to be detained, stripped and paraded through the streets before being beaten up.

His account was deemed "weak" by Protea Magistrate Andre Auret, who struck the case from the roll.

Within minutes "Mama Jackey" had changed into camouflage gear and led a group of supporters and a band in a victory dance on the steps of the magistrates' court, the South African Press Association reports.