Now that all the gory details of Oprah Winfrey’s school scandal at Oprah Winfrey’s South African school are out, Winfrey, who has made multiple trips to and from Africa in the past few weeks, is struggling to diffuse the situation and regain the trust of students and their families.

“I’ve disappointed you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” the talk show queen told families in an emergency meeting at the South African school in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg…

Oprah, who has spoken openly about being abused as a child, gave the girls her personal telephone number, her e-mail address and her postal address so that they could contact her around the clock.

She also suspended both the principal and another dormitory matron. I seriously doubt Oprah would cut corners when it came to hiring, and I am almost positive this sexually abusive dormitory matron just slipped through the cracks. Is it possible to feel bad for a billionaire?

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As details emerge, it’s apparent that the rumored crisis at Oprah’s South African school went a bit further than some unauthorized corporal punishment. A South African newspaper printed the allegations — which are certain to disgust Oprah, a child abuse victim– against a fired dormitory matron at the boarding school.

The woman, who has since been removed from the campus, allegedly grabbed a girl by the throat and threw her against a wall. Other alleged charges were that she swore and screamed at the girls, assaulted them and had sexually fondled at least one of them, according to Rapport newspaper.

The alleged incidents went public after one of the pupils ran away from the school because the abuse had become intolerable, according to Rapport. Her parents immediately notified the school…

The TV mogul met with the school’s executive and private investigators and held a two-hour meeting with the parents of her students, who were flown to Johannesburg from all over the country. A report by a private investigator flown in from the United States to conduct an inquiry with a South African counterpart has been turned over to the local police.

It’s pretty ballsy to try some shady shit at an Oprah-owned facility. She does not like to be crossed. I guess they didn’t show her James Frey episode in South Africa.

[EUR]

If you were wondering why Oprah Winfrey did not show up to an awards show last week honoring her friend Julia Roberts (because I was certainly losing sleep over the question), it turns out there is some drama going on at the media queen’s much-hyped school for girls, and Child Protection Services, South African and U.S. police, and Oprah herself were called in to handle a situation involving the misconduct of a dormitory matron. I think we can all imagine what that means.

The details are being kept confidential, but the girls are being offered psychological counseling. Countdown to the inevitable attacks from Oprah’s critics begins now.

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• South African blacks are slowly but surely entering the country’s thriving wine industry. [LAT]

• Lil Romeo: college basketball player and owner of the “official snack of hip hop.” [EUR]

• Busta Rhymes basically just lives in court these days. [WNBC]

• The College Board might be bringing AP African American History to high school kids. [IHE]

• A Jackson family member is cheap and creepy? No! I mean, we are talking about a guy who named his kid Jermajesty. [TMZ]

• Zimbabwe cattle farmers accuse white South African soldiers of racism. Well, I’m sure that’s an accusation they’ve never heard before. [MG]
• In a lawsuit, an Ohio firefighter blames a racist work environment for causing him to do poorly on his promotion exam. This sounds like the kind of case that ruins valid racism claims for the rest of us. [CT]
• Big Brother casting directors the world over really have a knack for weeding out the racists. And then choosing them to be on the show. [NB]
• Georgia NAACP leaders ask law officials to reopen a 7-year-old case to see if a young man’s drowning death was a result of police brutality. The local law officials are probably thrilled to death to re-investigate that one. [WMAZ]
• Black women in Latin America are at the bottom of the social and political ladder. Racism! And sexism! []

• Cuba Gooding, Jr. is set to play a janitor who befriends a teen plagued by premature balding. Two words: Oscar. Curse. [EUR]
• In Cannes today, Nick Cannon will win a Breakthrough Actor of The Year Award, which is a pretty impressive honor if they just took into account his movie roles and not his relationship with Selita Ebanks. [HR]
• Lil’ Flip will help a cast of reality show characters become just like him. Try out at your own risk. [MR]
• The South African government pushes its country’s sports teams to adopt racial quotas. [ER]
• A crumbling Birmingham, Ala. high school graduated its first white student in its 100-year history. Supreme Court, are you reading this? [CBS]

• Do individual candidate endorsements from black leaders damage the power of the collective black community? Only if you believe that the entire black community should vote for the same candidate. [CD]
• Detractors say the newly-passed Central American–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), will hurt Americans more than it will help us. “America’s about to have a cold, and we all know that if America gets a cold, [African Americans] will get pneumonia.” [BE]
• Trying to correct it’s shady history with black shows, NPR is launching a new program with veteran journalist Michel Martin. []
• In large numbers, South African blacks are working in jobs they are overqualified for. [ST]
• In South Carolina, the third black state Supreme Court justice in history will take office. [State]

• Ever wonder why black people love Chinese food? It seems pretty obvious to me. [J-ville]
• Apologizing for slavery is the new black. [BaltSun]
• Coolio’s aging “gangta image” was enough to impress one Scottish fan, which isn’t saying much. [Scotsman]
• Nelly is in talks to host South Africa’s version of Pimp My Ride, a full time job that makes me wonder about his career prospects here in the states. Not so good, I would imagine. [EUR]
• Wal-mart’s getting sued, again. For discrimination, again. [PG]

Did you know that Nelly was such a do-gooder? He’s got his finger on the pulse and knows exactly what to do to help countries, like South Africa, that are ravaged by AIDS and poverty. That’s right. He’s bringing them Apple Bottoms and Pimp Juice. Because what else would South Africans need besides booty-enhancing, poorly-made jeans and gross energy drinks?

[AllHipHop]