Knowing Nelson Mandela's reputation for getting charitable donations out of the rich and famous, American talkshow queen Oprah Winfrey stumped up without being asked.
It cost her $10-million (about R910-million) but it meant she kept on the right side of the man she calls her greatest living mentor.
"He's known for being able to extract the last dime from people. So I volunteered first," Oprah said on Friday.
With 84-year-old Mandela at her side, the African-American celebrity with a net worth edging towards the $1 billion mark broke the ground for what will be the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
"We are looking for strong, brave girls with heart. I believe girls are going to take over the world. Men have been in control long enough but, don't worry, we're prepared to share power," the petite presenter said at the ceremony on the nine-hectare wooded site at Henley-on-Klip, 40km south of Johannesburg.
The academy's doors will open in January 2005 and Oprah's millions will be spent over a decade to build it and run it with the provincial education ministry, says Caren Yanis, executive director of the Oprah Winfrey Foundation.