O no, not again! Oprah Winfrey's school rocked by second sex scandal in 2 years

**witchcurlgirl** · March 30th, 2009, 07:24 PM

O no, not again! Oprah's school rocked by second sex scandal in 2 years

Oprah Winfrey's elite boarding school for girls in South Africa has been rocked by its second sex scandal in fewer than two years.

Seven students were suspended last week for sexually harassing their schoolmates, the "Afrikaans on Sunday" newspaper reported.
One 15-year-old was accused of preying on another pupil and forcing other girls to lie to investigators about it, the paper reported.

"You have been found guilty of physical contact of a sexual nature with another pupil on campus, harassment, bullying other girls on campus and of being dishonest by not telling investigators the whole truth," a letter to her parents read.

Other girls were caught fondling each other or trying to get other girls to join them in lesbian liasons, the paper reported.

Oprah's spokesperson, Lisa Halliday, confirmed the girls had been suspended from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy School for Girls - but gave few details.

"It is because they contravened the school's code of conduct," she said. "We regard the incident as confidential."

Winfrey called it the proudest moment of her life when she opened the $46 million school near Johannesburg in January 2007 to help high achieving but poor South African girls.

Nelson Mandela dedicated the school and luminaries ranging from songbirds Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige to filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Sidney Poitier attended the opening.

The school, which aims to house 450 girls in grades 7 through 12 by 2011, offered free tuition, books and uniforms, as well as room and board.

In return, the girls were required to follow the rules.

Ten months later, Winfrey sobbed uncontrollably after 15 girls reported they had been sexually abused by a matron who was supposed to be watching over them.

The talk show queen said the sex abuse charges hit her especially hard because she was raped and molested by a cousin, uncle and family friend when she was 9.

"I am a mama bear when it comes to protecting my children," she said at the time.

"These girls are like my children. That's not just rhetoric for me. I take their futures and the possibility for what their futures hold very seriously."

Dorm matron Virginia Tiny Makgobo, 27, was charged with indecent assault, common assault, soliciting a minor to perform an indecent act and verbal abuse of girls at the school. She denies the charges and is due back in court on June 1.

Vowing to "clean house," Winfrey also fired the school's headmistress and announced she would hand out cell phones - with her number on speed dial - to each student.

It was not clear if any students used their phones to report the latest outrage

O no, not again! Oprah's school rocked by second sex scandal in 2 years

**Mrs P** · March 31st, 2009, 12:01 AM

Well, it's a bit different this time around considering the students were doing the molesting. I wonder if these girls were abused when they were younger? Sometimes the abused go on to abuse.

I'm confused by the last comment. It was not clear if any students used their phones to report the latest outrage. Is that how the students reported the first incident?

**kalirga** · March 31st, 2009, 12:14 AM

Love that there's a token whitey in the pic.

**Mrs P** · March 31st, 2009, 01:27 AM

Originally Posted by kalirga

Love that there's a token whitey in the pic.

Ha, thanks for pointing that out because I didn't even look at the picture before.

**olivia** · March 31st, 2009, 07:27 AM

This school was such a vanity project. Oprah had to have her name plastered on a school rather than give to other established African efforts.

Not only that, but Oprah can't set up a school in the USA because all the kids are tainted with commercialism (begging her for the latest shoes.) Guess the whole world has problems, right Opes?

**celeb_2006** · March 31st, 2009, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by olivia

This school was such a vanity project. Oprah had to have her name plastered on a school rather than give to other established African efforts.

Not only that, but Oprah can't set up a school in the USA because all the kids are tainted with commercialism (begging her for the latest shoes.) Guess the whole world has problems, right Opes?

Stupid, out of all the millions of AMERICAN kids that could benefit, she comes up with a pathetic excuse of commercialism? How utterly stupid and pointless her whole 'charity' is.

**mad1** · March 31st, 2009, 08:20 AM

How is this different from what goes on at any boarding school anywhere in the world?

**sparkly** · March 31st, 2009, 10:13 AM

This isn't a sex scandal~ it's just a bunch of teen girls experimenting with each other, unless I read it wrong.

**CornFlakegrl** · March 31st, 2009, 12:38 PM

That's how I read it too. Unless some girls felt "forced" into participation.

**calcifer** · March 31st, 2009, 04:37 PM

Vowing to "clean house," Winfrey also fired the school's headmistress and announced she would hand out cell phones - with her number on speed dial - to each student.

just find someone competent enough to run your school.

**Moongirl** · April 1st, 2009, 12:54 PM

Oprah’s girls’ school isn’t facing sex scandal

Oprah Winfrey says the South African girls' school she founded is not facing a second sex scandal.
MJ Schear / AP file
By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
msnbc.com
updated 7:03 p.m. PT, Tues., March. 31, 2009

Reports claiming that The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa is plagued by a second sex scandal are incorrect, according to Winfrey herself, the school’s spokesperson and other sources with knowledge of the situation.

The U.K. Daily Telegraph reports that a student at the academy, which was founded by Winfrey in 2007, “preyed” on a schoolmate, and six others are “alleged to have touched each other intimately.”

Because the girls are minors, specifics can’t be divulged on the record. However, a source with knowledge of the situation at the all-girls' boarding school reports that recent expulsions weren’t due to the alleged sex scandal outlined in the reports.

"Several students were expelled last week for violating the Leadership Academy's Code of Conduct," said Lisa Halliday, spokesperson for The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation. "We consider this to be a confidential school matter. Therefore, we will not confirm any personal information or disclose any details related to these expulsions,”

Talk-show host Winfrey addressed the incident March 31, saying that “common infractions” get excessive attention due to her famous name, and that the school “will not tolerate” a violation of policy.

A dorm matron at the school was charged with abusing six students in 2007.

Scoop: Oprahâ€™s girlsâ€™ school isnâ€™t facing sex scandal - The Scoop- msnbc.com

**MrsDark** · April 1st, 2009, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by sparkly

This isn't a sex scandal~ it's just a bunch of teen girls experimenting with each other, unless I read it wrong.

That's kind of what I thought too. Kids this age are pretty sexual. And it's not like there are probably any boys around to be sneaking out with (that I know of).