Oprah's School Rocked Again By Scandal
Yesterday I almost bestowed upon Madonna the title of Mistress Of All She Surveys, but then I remembered I had already christened Oprah with that title. And, like Madonna, Oprah has had some problems lately concerning children and African countries. In Oprah's case, however, it isn't children that she wants to adopt but children at the school she runs in South Africa:
Seven pupils have been suspended from the all-girls school, after being accused of touching girls’ private parts and having sexual relationships with other students.One of the suspended girls, who is 15, also allegedly tried to force other girls to have relationships with one another.
A letter sent to the pupil, and obtained by an African newspaper, said: ‘You are accused of having physical contact of a sexual nature with another pupil on the campus, intimidation, and that you bullied other pupils on the campus and were dishonest by not telling the whole truth to investigators.’
She claims the accusations are false and has blamed jealous girls for spreading rumours about her.
Miss Winfrey, 55, has invested around £30 million establishing the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened in January 2007.
This is not the first time her school has been rocked by a scandal:
Dormitory matron Tiny Makopo was suspended after being accused of sexually assaulting six pupils, and denies charges of indecent assault, common assault, verbal abuse and soliciting a minor to perform an indecent act. [...]Miss Makopo is accused of indecently assaulting 13- and 14-year-old girls by kissing them, touching their breasts and getting into bed with them.
Her trial was adjourned in February and is due to resume in June.
Oprah herself was a victim of sexual assault as a girl, so these charges must be particularly galling to her. And to have two sexual abuse scandals in an eighteen-month period of time...well, I imagine she is wondering just what went wrong. As is the rest of the world. Continued on the next page
