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Former Winfrey school employee arrested - CNN.com
A former employee at Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in South Africa has been arrested as part of an abuse probe, police said Friday.
Lungelo Dlamini, police superintendent in Johannesburg, said the suspect -- an ex-school matron whose name was not given -- is accused of physical abuse against girls at the school, including soliciting them for indecent acts.
The suspect will appear Monday at Sebokeng Magistrate Court, a court for family violence, child protection and sexual offenses, Dlamini said.
At this time, no other employees are being investigated, he said.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in January. Winfrey personally selected the school's 152 pupils, all of them straight-A students from underprivileged backgrounds.
The students get free tuition, uniforms, accommodations and meals at the school in Henley-on-Klip, near Johannesburg.
In a statement issued last month, the academy's CEO, John Samuel, said that an internal inquiry had been launched based on an allegation of misconduct involving a dormitory parent.
Despite allegations, Winfrey's school supported
According to an article in The Cape Argus, a Cape Town, South Africa, newspaper, the dorm parent allegedly grabbed a pupil by the throat and threw her against a wall, the girl said. Girls at the school also alleged the matron swore and screamed at the girls and assaulted them, the newspaper reported Saturday.
The newspaper said one of the pupils ran away from the school, blaming the alleged abuse.
The criminal probe was opened after a team of three American experts hired by Winfrey gave police the results of their initial investigation, police said.
"We came to the conclusion that there were criminal elements, and then we opened the case for investigation," Dlamini said this week.
Dlamini said that the team of U.S. experts included Robert Farley, a retired Cook County, Illinois, detective. He said two American social workers were also on the team.
On October 17, Winfrey -- who has spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered as a child -- issued a statement saying, "Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy."
A former employee at Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in South Africa has been arrested as part of an abuse probe, police said Friday.
Lungelo Dlamini, police superintendent in Johannesburg, said the suspect -- an ex-school matron whose name was not given -- is accused of physical abuse against girls at the school, including soliciting them for indecent acts.
The suspect will appear Monday at Sebokeng Magistrate Court, a court for family violence, child protection and sexual offenses, Dlamini said.
At this time, no other employees are being investigated, he said.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in January. Winfrey personally selected the school's 152 pupils, all of them straight-A students from underprivileged backgrounds.
The students get free tuition, uniforms, accommodations and meals at the school in Henley-on-Klip, near Johannesburg.
In a statement issued last month, the academy's CEO, John Samuel, said that an internal inquiry had been launched based on an allegation of misconduct involving a dormitory parent.
Despite allegations, Winfrey's school supported
According to an article in The Cape Argus, a Cape Town, South Africa, newspaper, the dorm parent allegedly grabbed a pupil by the throat and threw her against a wall, the girl said. Girls at the school also alleged the matron swore and screamed at the girls and assaulted them, the newspaper reported Saturday.
The newspaper said one of the pupils ran away from the school, blaming the alleged abuse.
The criminal probe was opened after a team of three American experts hired by Winfrey gave police the results of their initial investigation, police said.
"We came to the conclusion that there were criminal elements, and then we opened the case for investigation," Dlamini said this week.
Dlamini said that the team of U.S. experts included Robert Farley, a retired Cook County, Illinois, detective. He said two American social workers were also on the team.
On October 17, Winfrey -- who has spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered as a child -- issued a statement saying, "Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy."
