Oprah's $1m boost for Cida
Tshepiso Mogotsi
9 December 2003
US talk show host Oprah Winfrey paid a surprise visit to Cida City Campus in Johannesburg this week, and promptly donated $1-million towards a new student residence.
Cida (the Community and Individual Development Association) is South Africa's first "ubuntu" university, offering tertiary level courses in business at minimal cost to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Cida currently has 1 600 students.
Staff and students were left speechless after Oprah and her television crew dropped in on the campus. She had jetted into the country to attend Nelson Mandela's 46664 Aids concert in Cape Town over the weekend.
News of Winfrey's visit to the Johannesburg campus was kept under wraps, and not a word of her donation leaked out ahead of time. No media were present, and the only camera allowed was in the hands of
her own photographer, Benny Gool.
Cida executive director Thembinkosi Mhlongo said: "We only knew on Tuesday night she was coming the following day, and we knew absolutely nothing about the donation until she arrived at the campus."
Winfrey then presented Cida's directors with the first instalment, a cheque for R1-million. The money will be used to build an African-style residence.
The residence was one of Cida's most pressing problems, according to Mhlongo. "Although the education is free, our financially disadvantaged students are required to pay for accommodation, food and transport."
Mhlongo pointed out that with the large number of buildings in the inner city being closed down as part of the inner city rejuvenation programme, many students had been left without accommodation.
"We have been planning to do something about this issue and we are delighted by Winfrey's boost. She even told us she had never come across students with such maturity and
dignity as those in Cida", Mhlongo said.
Third-year business administration student France Mashilo said he sometimes watched Oprah's television show, and seeing her in person "was the best moment of my life ... And then her announcement of the donation and comments about us - it just makes it so much better."
Oprah and her crew were taken on a tour of the campus, filming lecture rooms, the computers and the cafeteria, so there's bound to be footage of Cida on her show soon.
Source: City of Johannesburg website
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