Oprah girls quit over Afrikaans

2007-05-06 21:19

Gavin Prins

Johannesburg - Two Afrikaans-speakers have not returned to Oprah Winfrey's upmarket school for girls after the holidays, apparently because of cultural differences and bullying.

The parents of the two friends, Michelle Conradie and Gwenneth Mans, don't want to talk about it.

But Rapport newspaper has heard that the talk show queen on occasion phoned from the United States to tell Michelle's mother, Amanda Conradie, that her daughter was being "victimised".

Michelle and Gwenneth have been sitting at home for the past fortnight, while their former classmates returned to the posh Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

'Not allowed to speak Afrikaans'

Frances Mans, Gwenneth's foster mother, confirmed that her daughter was at home, but said "I don't want to talk about it" and put down the phone.

Conradie did not answer calls to her phone.

Rapport's information is that life at the school with its six healthy meals a day, modern classrooms and fancy bedrooms had just become too much for the girls.

A source said: "For instance, they're not allowed to speak Afrikaans to each other, even though it's their home language.

"If they're caught, certain privileges are taken away. It's ridiculous. The school's system doesn't work for everyone."

Mans is looking for another school for her daughter.

The school management is tight-lipped about it all.

Academy manager John Samuels said: "I cannot comment."

When asked if they were attending to the problem, he responded "What problem? How can we attend to a problem if there isn't one?"

The school was in the news a month ago when parents said they wanted to visit their daughters more often than the prescribed once a month.

Samuels said at the time that it was "in the girls' best interests".

There was also a report in February that a girl was told to leave because she had contracted an illness.

Most pupils 'very happy'

However, there also are positive reports from the pupils.

Colleen Jefferies, aunt of Taryn-Leigh, says there aren't any problems that they know about.

"In her three months there, Taryn has become such an adult, it's unbelievable. She's very happy at the school."

Oprah's academy cost her a cool R268m, and she personally selected the 152 less-privileged pupils to attend it.

- Rapport