Oprah's Holiday Mission

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007 3:14 PM PST by Joal Ryan

A mama bear takes care of her cubs. And apparently, so does Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey has "resolved everything" with the 12-year-old at the center of the abuse scandal that rocked the talk queen's South African girls' school, the child's father told People.

A spokeswoman for Winfrey's Harpo Productions confirmed Monday that the media mogul was in South Africa to mark the holiday season with students at her Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg.

Per the People report, the visit was marked by a two-hour confab on Sunday between Winfrey, the 12-year-old and the girl's parents.

"I am very happy and pleased that Oprah heard our side of the story," the father told the magazine's Website. "We have closure...Oprah resolved everything."

The man said his daughter intended to return to the campus and that he and his family had been invited to a Winfrey-hosted school party scheduled for Tuesday. No word on whether there was a financial settlement.

Earlier this year, the man's daughter—identities of the alleged victims and their families have not been reported—fled the Winfrey academy. It was the first sign of trouble at a school that drew the likes of former South African President Nelson Mandela and Oscar winner Sidney Poitier to its opening in January.

In all, 15 girls went on to lodge abuse complaints. Tiny Virginia Makopo, a 27-year-old den mother at the school, was subsequently charged with 13 criminal counts ranging from verbal abuse to enticing a minor through the commission of an indecent or immoral act.

Winfrey's holiday visit to the school is the latest in a series since the multimedia star said she learned of the allegations in early October.

At a Nov. 5 press conference, Winfrey, herself a victim of childhood abuse, called the school scandal "one of the most devastating, if not the most devastating, experiences of my life."

"I am a mama bear when it comes to protecting my children," she said. "These girls are my children. That is not just rhetoric."

In the wake of the scandal, Winfrey jettisoned the school's principal, who has since denied knowing anything of the allegations, and apologized to the students.

Makopo, who has pleaded innocent to the charges, is due back in court on Dec. 13.