Two Afrikaans language speaking girls have not returned to Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls after the holidays, apparently because of cultural differences and bullying. The parents of the two girls, Michelle Conradie and Gwenneth Mans, don't want to talk about it. Michelle and Gwenneth have been sitting at home, while their former classmates returned to Oprah's Leadership Academy for Girls.
According to the families they're "Not allowed to speak Afrikaans."
An unamed source said: "For instance, they're not allowed to speak Afrikaans to each other, even though it's their home language. If they're caught, certain privileges are taken away. It's ridiculous. The school's system doesn't work for everyone."
Academy manager John Samuels said: "I cannot comment."
When Mr Samuels was asked what they were doing about the problem, he responded "What problem? How can we attend to a problem if there isn't one?"
The Academy was in the news about a month ago when parents said they wanted to visit their daughters more often than the prescribed once a month.
