The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa is a girls-only boarding school that officially opened in January 2007 in Henley on Klip near Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, South Africa. Inspired by her own "humble beginnings" and disadvantaged background, Oprah Winfrey stated that she founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibited leadership qualities for making a difference in the world. The current headmistress is Ms. Anne Van Zyl who has been at the academy since 2010.Criticisms and controversiesAt the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Leadership Academy, Winfrey received much criticism surrounding the "extravagance" of the school, with mention, among other things, about the need for high thread-count sheets for the dormitory beds, a beauty salon, two theaters and a yoga classroom to educate girls in an impoverished region of South Africa. In an article about the school's unveiling, Allison Samuels of Newsweek questioned whether the $40 million spent might have benefited a far greater number of students had the money been spent with less emphasis on luxurious surroundings and more emphasis on practicality.Winfrey defended her decision to establish the Leadership Academy in South Africa by offering the following observation:I think the reason not just Africa but the world is in the state that it is is because of a lack of leadership on all levels of government... and particularly in regard to schools and schooling for poor children.... The best way to effect change long term is to... give children exposure and opportunity and nurture them to understand their own power and possibility.
