Ex-Employee Of Oprah's School Arrested
A former employee of Oprah Winfrey's school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa has been arrested on charges of abuse and sexual assault, police said Friday.
A police spokesman, Supt. Lungelo Dlamini, said the 27-year-old woman, a dormitory matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, was arrested on Thursday by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit.
"Several charges including alleged assault, indecent assault, criminal injury and soliciting underage girls to perform indecent acts are being investigated against her," Dlamini said.
At least seven victims have submitted statements, he said.
The woman was being held by police and was expected to appear in Sebokeng magistrate's court, south of Johannesburg, on Monday, he said.
Winfrey opened the academy for disadvantaged girls in January with great fanfare and $40 million of her own money. It was the fulfillment of a promise she made to Nelson Mandela six years ago, and aims to give 152 girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
Winfrey has met personally with the students and their parents. In tears she reportedly told them, "I'm sorry."
Today she issued a written statement, saying in part: "It is my deepest hope that the accused is brought to justice and that this serves as a reminder that any time a child has the courage to step forward, it is our duty as adults to listen and take immediate action."
Jess Cagle, entertainment editor for People magazine, says 2007 has probably been Winfrey's toughest year ever, pointing to Winfrey's troubles at her school, and her recent health problems. But he says the billionaire business woman will almost certainly bounce back.
"It is second nature to her to take a problem and deal with it, and she will be fine coming out of this," Cagle told CBS News national correspondent Byron Pitts. "There's no damage to her brand. There's no damage to her reputation."