Melvin King is on top of the world. The teacher, who was born in the Cape Flats, is the new head of academy at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
King, 50, was overcome with emotion yesterday when he broke the news to staff at Bridge House Preparatory School in Franschhoek, where he was the principal for seven years.
He said he would miss the school and the picturesque town in the Cape winelands.
"It was a global search so I am quite chuffed that I came through," said King. The interview panel, he said, was an "esteemed gathering" that included Winfrey.
King has been a life skills facilitator at the South African Institute of Race Relations. He is also a director of Christel House South Africa - a private school registered as an NGO that helps impover-ished communities in Cape Town - and deputy chairman of the Franschhoek Transformation Project.
He has a social science degree and a teaching diploma from the University of Cape Town and a diploma in leadership development from Wits Graduate School of Business.
David Wylde, chairman of the board of trustees of the Oprah academy said: "[King] is an extraordinary human being, a very deep thinker, which is reflected in the work he has done and the way in which he involves everyone."
King said he will "learn from and listen to" teachers at the academy to propel the school to even higher levels of excellence.
"Oprah Winfrey has invested not only in the school but in the people of South Africa. The school is absolutely life-changing to the children - a blessing," King said.
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