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Mixed feelings for new 'Oprah' school
published: Tuesday | May 29, 2007
Left: A view of the buiding's modern design. Right: The sign outside the Oprah Winfrey School - photos by Janet Silvera
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Writer[/COLOR][/COLOR]
The recently opened upscale school for bright South African girls, was a gift from popular American talk queen, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Oprah [COLOR=orange! important]Winfrey[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]. Janet Silvera got a sneak peek at the facility during her three-week trip to South Africa, to see how their tourism industry is thriving.
Double electric gates at the entrance and yards of electronic shock-effect [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]fencing[/COLOR][/COLOR] surround the compound. A Venus Africa Security firm mini van patrols the area outside. These are what greet you on arrival at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership School for Girls.
Located about an hour outside Johannesburg, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]South [COLOR=orange! important]Africa[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], in a small rural community with an even more unappealing name 'Henly On Klip', the facility borders a more popular town called Meyerton.
At 6:00 a.m. on a May day, it's a very cold winter morning in South Africa. The Gleaner team, not properly attired for the brutal weather, ventured out on this fact-finding mission. All we had was the name of the principal, John Samuels, enough to probably get through the heavily-secured entrance.
And through the gate we went, but only to as far asMr. Samuels' personal assistant, a woman of Indian descent by the name of Farhana.
Regal reception area
Passing through the reception area was a sight to behold, as beautiful Persian rugs lined the floor and tastefully-done lanterns hung from the ceiling. All manner of African furniture decorated both upstairs and downstairs, while paintings adorned the walls.
Whether Mr. Samuels was in office or not, Farhana had no intention of allowing a journalist to sample so much of the property.
"We weren't expecting anyone here this week. We had no appointments. Who did you say sent you?" came fast and furious.
Eventually, she said, "We have never allowed any media person inside; we are here to concentrate on running the school, not to deal with public relations."
The school's address is Wargrave Street and people from the quiet community of mainly white Portuguese, English, Greek and German, coupled with a large number of poor blacks, say they were never invited to the opening of the school, something they would have liked. However, many felt it was fantastic having this facelift to Henly.
"We don't mind having it here at all, it's quite a nice school, the layout is very good," retiree Sheila Pearce told The Gleaner, as she walked her German Shepherd, just after 7 o'clock in the morning.
"Most of us here are proud of the school. It has made a big change to the area and has brought a lot of people around," she added.
Good investment
Trevor Enklerwitz, a community resident of 25 years, felt the school had provided employment for many people in the area and this was what the community needed, "investments like these".
Still shocked that Winfrey had selected his community, the elderly man said, "Not in a million years could we have imagined she would have come here."
But, while the whites in the area considered it a good move, the poor blacks felt cheated.
Smoking Patje (marijuana), wrapped in paper pulled out of the Yellow Pages and downing alcohol at 8:30 a.m., they complained about the injustices meted out by the importation of a building contractor thousands of kilometres away to construct the school.
Locals barred
"An Eastern Cape contractor built the school, and the local people weren't allowed to go there," said Paul Ndele (name changed), as he puffed from the joint of weed in his hand.
His friend, Khaohelo Motshabi, complained about the fact that qualified teachers live in the community, but workers were taken from outside.
"In terms of economic benefit, there was none for the community and there is not one guy from the area who works there."
He said the workers are hired all the way from Johannesburg, "Because they don't trust us."
Half of the 3,000 people who live in the area are unemployed, he noted.
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com.
Left: The new school has all the modern comforts of home, and the South African female students who are poor and bright, will have the opportunity to get the best education money can buy. Right: Security fence at the entrance to the school.
published: Tuesday | May 29, 2007
Left: A view of the buiding's modern design. Right: The sign outside the Oprah Winfrey School - photos by Janet Silvera
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Writer[/COLOR][/COLOR]
The recently opened upscale school for bright South African girls, was a gift from popular American talk queen, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Oprah [COLOR=orange! important]Winfrey[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]. Janet Silvera got a sneak peek at the facility during her three-week trip to South Africa, to see how their tourism industry is thriving.
Double electric gates at the entrance and yards of electronic shock-effect [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]fencing[/COLOR][/COLOR] surround the compound. A Venus Africa Security firm mini van patrols the area outside. These are what greet you on arrival at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership School for Girls.
Located about an hour outside Johannesburg, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]South [COLOR=orange! important]Africa[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], in a small rural community with an even more unappealing name 'Henly On Klip', the facility borders a more popular town called Meyerton.
At 6:00 a.m. on a May day, it's a very cold winter morning in South Africa. The Gleaner team, not properly attired for the brutal weather, ventured out on this fact-finding mission. All we had was the name of the principal, John Samuels, enough to probably get through the heavily-secured entrance.
And through the gate we went, but only to as far asMr. Samuels' personal assistant, a woman of Indian descent by the name of Farhana.
Regal reception area
Passing through the reception area was a sight to behold, as beautiful Persian rugs lined the floor and tastefully-done lanterns hung from the ceiling. All manner of African furniture decorated both upstairs and downstairs, while paintings adorned the walls.
Whether Mr. Samuels was in office or not, Farhana had no intention of allowing a journalist to sample so much of the property.
"We weren't expecting anyone here this week. We had no appointments. Who did you say sent you?" came fast and furious.
Eventually, she said, "We have never allowed any media person inside; we are here to concentrate on running the school, not to deal with public relations."
The school's address is Wargrave Street and people from the quiet community of mainly white Portuguese, English, Greek and German, coupled with a large number of poor blacks, say they were never invited to the opening of the school, something they would have liked. However, many felt it was fantastic having this facelift to Henly.
"We don't mind having it here at all, it's quite a nice school, the layout is very good," retiree Sheila Pearce told The Gleaner, as she walked her German Shepherd, just after 7 o'clock in the morning.
"Most of us here are proud of the school. It has made a big change to the area and has brought a lot of people around," she added.
Good investment
Trevor Enklerwitz, a community resident of 25 years, felt the school had provided employment for many people in the area and this was what the community needed, "investments like these".
Still shocked that Winfrey had selected his community, the elderly man said, "Not in a million years could we have imagined she would have come here."
But, while the whites in the area considered it a good move, the poor blacks felt cheated.
Smoking Patje (marijuana), wrapped in paper pulled out of the Yellow Pages and downing alcohol at 8:30 a.m., they complained about the injustices meted out by the importation of a building contractor thousands of kilometres away to construct the school.
Locals barred
"An Eastern Cape contractor built the school, and the local people weren't allowed to go there," said Paul Ndele (name changed), as he puffed from the joint of weed in his hand.
His friend, Khaohelo Motshabi, complained about the fact that qualified teachers live in the community, but workers were taken from outside.
"In terms of economic benefit, there was none for the community and there is not one guy from the area who works there."
He said the workers are hired all the way from Johannesburg, "Because they don't trust us."
Half of the 3,000 people who live in the area are unemployed, he noted.
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com.
Left: The new school has all the modern comforts of home, and the South African female students who are poor and bright, will have the opportunity to get the best education money can buy. Right: Security fence at the entrance to the school.
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