WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-01-09 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
The suspended head of Oprah Winfrey’s controversial private academy for girls says she is very hurt and has fled to sanctuary in the US.
On Friday Dr Nomvuyo Mzamane broke her silence to flatly deny that she ever turned her back on girls allegedly abused by the school’s matron.
Speaking through her close friend, Philadelphia attorney Timothy McGowan, Mzamane said the response to this “terrible crisis” had been to blame her.
“Contrary to reports, I had no knowledge of abuse. I did not and would never participate in any such cover-up.
“As the head of the academy, my track record had been of one who acted decisively and in the best interests of the child where there was even a hint of inappropriate speech or action on campus.”
McGowan said the allegations had been totally unfounded and that his client was “an extremely private person, and was extremely hurt that her good name had been tarnished.
“She doesn’t want to make nickel from this – she only wants to reinstate her good name of 20 years of great teaching both here (in the US) and in South Africa.”
Mzamane said in her statement: “I have always been, and will always be, a passionate advocate for children and their families and a South African patriot devoted to participating in the important work of nation-building through education.”
McGowan said that when it became clear that her contract would not be renewed in January, Mzamane had returned to the US, where she remains suspended by the academy on full pay.
McGowan said he was not sure whether Winfrey and Mzamane had discussed Mzamane’s decision to go to the US. Nor would he be drawn on whether Mzamane would seek legal redress for the alleged damage to her reputation.
On Monday, Tiny Makgabo, the school’s former matron, appeared in the Sebokeng Magistrate’s Court on charges of indecent assault, common assault, soliciting a minor to perform indecent acts, and verbal abuse.
Makgabo, whose bail of R3 000 was extended, told the court she intended to plead not guilty to all the charges.
The Saturday Star reported last week that at least seven underage girls were believed to have been involved in the alleged paedophilia.
Meanwhile, all 148 girls at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy were said to be coping well as they prepare for their end-of-year examinations.
And classes are continuing successfully with experienced educators who have stepped into the roles of matrons and headmistress until suitable replacements can be appointed, according to Lisa Halliday, the school’s spokesperson.
Winfrey, speaking to journalists in a televised worldwide press conference on Monday, said there was a sense of relief at the academy’s Henley-on-Klip campus now that the investigation into the alleged incidents had been concluded.
Winfrey, who cried throughout the press conference, said: “We are returning to a normal way of life. The spirit of the girls remains strong. They are determined to move forward and we are committed to making the changes necessary at the academy to empower them to do that.”
All the girls were nervous about the upcoming exams, especially those directly affected by the scandal, Winfrey added. “A number of the girls are receiving counselling and they are very concerned.”
Meanwhile, Shaun Robinson, a US gossip magazine journalist, interviewed a parent, Masechaba Hiime, who has a daughter and a granddaughter at the academy, neither of whom were abused. Hiime claims that Makgabo’s alleged acts were severe.
In a statement released directly to Robinson, Winfrey said: “This has been a huge blow, but you learn from your mistakes. I would very much like to look Tiny in the eye, like any parent would, and ask ‘Why?’ And ‘How you could do this?’.”