Oprah Winfrey at the opening of her school in South Africa In January
Posted on 10/23/2007 8:00:48 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Matron at Oprah Winfrey's £30m girl school accused of 'sexually abusing pupil'
Last updated at 10:23am on 23rd October 2007
Oprah Winfrey made a weekend dash to South Africa amid allegations of sexual abuse at her girls' school.
It was the chat show host's second visit in 10 days after serious claims of misconduct were made against a matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, a school for underprivileged children near Johannesburg.
Chief executive John Samuel said the South African police child protection and sexual offences unit had been told of the internal investigation.
Oprah Winfrey at the opening of her school in South Africa In January
The newspaper Rapport reported that the matron was alleged to have grabbed a girl by the throat and thrown her against a wall.
Other charges were that the "dorm parent" swore at the girls, assaulted them and sexually fondled at least one of them.
Winfrey reportedly missed a Hollywood engagement to fly to the country last week and returned at the weekend.
She said: "Nothing is more devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy."
John Samuel, the chief executive of the academy, said in a brief statement that the South African police's family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit (FCS) had been informed of the internal investigation.
“The inquiry is being conducted in a manner that supports the safe and nurturing environment of the academy, with minimal disruption to campus life. In addition, the academy is providing psychological support and counselling services to our learners,” he said in the statement, the only comment that the school has made on the affair.
The alleged offender had been removed from the campus and other measures have been taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the pupils, he added.
The celebrity launched her project after she became frustrated with writing "cheque after cheque" to charity.
Nelson Mandela was invited to be among the dignitaries at the opening of the lavish Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the small town of Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg.
Oprah said she decided to build her own school because she was tired of charity from a distance. "When I first started making a lot of money, I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write cheque after cheque to this or that charity without really feeling like it was a part of me," she said in an interview with Newsweek magazine.
"At a certain point, you want to feel that connection."
The US academy, which cost £30.4 million, aims to give 152 girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
And, from what I have seen, have the correct amount of pigment...
naughty teacher ping!
Way to go Op
That did not take long. No doubt a book deal is in the making. Soon we will understand all the issues and have a real good cry as the guilty go laughing to the bank.
If only South African school matrons were allowed to marry, this would never have happened.
Africa is the only place Oprah could have pulled off an academy like this.
If she did this in the US, it would be a repudiation of the entire public school system, and she’d lose her Member IN Good Standing card in the Liberal pecking order.
Interesting thing about Apartheid - South Africa hasn’t been written about much since it went away.
Reason for that? Same as what happen to India when the Raj went away - it fell apart. Trains stopped running on time, infrastructure started falling apart, and corruption - that great African cultural hallmark - is at a historical high mark.
The people who were delivering the jobs? They are gone, and with them the economy.
Just another liberal success story.
A poor country, a rich foreigner, lots of money Ie) temptation to be seen, and infectious US political correctness virus - probably won’t be the last time Oprah get’s squeezed for some $$ either.
... a man?
I thought that the working assumption with Oprah was that she was, ah, how do you say - one of "them" [not that there's anything wrong with that®].
To cut to the chase - the moment I saw this article, my first thought was "Dykes building schools to indoctrinate little girls in how to grow up to be dykes and someone is even pretending to be suprised that the result is dyke-on-little-girl molestation?"
Seriously - file this one under dog bites man.
Next story, please.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stedman_Graham
“One word:
Beard.”
LOL! Well that’s certainly possible, although they have lived together for more almost twenty years. Of course, it’s possible that they’re both “different” and find their living situation a convenient arrangement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.