Oprah Winfrey begged for forgiveness with tears in her eyes as she spoke to parents of students at her all-girls school in South Africa on Sunday.
The talk show queen addressed the parents during the emergency meeting, which was called after allegations of abuse surfaced at the school, which opened in January.
“I’ve disappointed you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” Oprah told the families in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, the South African news site News24.com reported.
Oprah had visited the school twice in the past few weeks, after allegations that one of the employees fondled a female student and that other students had been physically abused, including allegations that some students were grabbed by the neck, beaten and thrown against a wall, and being sworn at.
News24.com reported that Oprah, who has spoken publicly about suffering abuse as a child, gave the students her personal phone number, her e-mail address and her mailing address so they could contact her at any time.
Prior to the alleged fondling incident, Oprah placed the school’s principal, Dr. Mzimane, and at least one other employee on leave two weeks ago. Dr. Mzimane was accused of failing to take action in light of the recent allegations.
“I trusted her. When I appointed her, I thought she was passionate about the children of Africa,” an emotional Oprah said last week of Mzimane. “But I’ve been disappointed.”
According to local news reports, the father of one of the girls told Oprah the parents aren’t blaming her for the problems.
“It’s not your fault. We don’t blame you,” the father reportedly told her. “You trusted them. You have more passion for the school and its existence than anyone else in this country, including us parents.”
On October 23, John Samuel, CEO, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls issued the following statement:
“Oprah Winfrey and the entire staff at the Academy continue to take this allegation very seriously and fully support the ongoing investigation. We do not wish to influence or interfere with the investigation in any manner and defer all further questions to the South African Child Protection Services Unit.”
Oprah opened the doors to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in January to provide a high level of education to underprivileged girls.
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