End of an era for Oprah Winfrey school in South Africa

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls property will be returned to the Gauteng Department of Education at the end of 2027.

The girls’ school dates back to December 2000, when Nelson Mandela and Oprah Winfrey discussed creating an educational path for girls in South Africa.

On 6 December 2002, Winfrey, Mandela, and then Education Minister Kader Asmal broke ground on the future site of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

Initially a public-private partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, the Academy became an independent school on 20 August 2006.

Through personal donations by Winfrey, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation has contributed $400 million toward the Academy’s creation.

The Academy opened its doors in January 2007. Five years later, on January 14, 2012, the Academy held its first graduating class, with 72 students.

2027 marks the Academy’s 20th anniversary, with over 870 girls having graduated from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.

On 29 July 2026, Winfrey announced that, following the completion of the 2027 academic year, things would change.

“The residential campus of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will conclude its role as the centre of the program,” she said.

The property will be returned to the Gauteng Department of Education in accordance with the original partnership agreement.

However, this does not mean that Winfrey is done with the project. It will continue through an expanded scholarship program.

The scholarship program will support young women at leading schools throughout South Africa.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” said Winfrey. “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.”

“I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago.”

She added that every student currently enrolled at the Academy will complete her educational journey with uninterrupted academic and financial support.