Gauteng Takes Over Oprah Academy

Oprah Winfrey has co tributed immensely to the empowerment of young South African women through her school. Image supplied.

The Gauteng Department of Education will take over the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls campus in Henley-on-Klip after the 2027 academic year.

This follows an announcement that the academy will close in its current form after nearly two decades in operation.

Oprah Winfrey will shift her focus to an expanded scholarship programme supporting young women across South Africa.

The institution opened in 2007 and has produced more than 1 000 graduates.

Former learners have gone on to become doctors, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders locally and abroad.

The academy stated that its primary mission will continue through the new national scholarship initiative.

“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women.

“That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education,” Winfrey said.

Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, welcomed Winfrey’s lasting contribution to local education and praised her commitment to empowering young women.

The residential campus will operate normally until the 2027 academic year concludes. It will then be returned to the provincial department under the original partnership agreement.

Department officials confirmed that current learners will receive uninterrupted academic, financial, and personal support during the transition.