Meghan And Harry Kick Off Their SA Tour Amid Great Fanfare

Sunny skies, big hugs and a moving speech – Meghan and Harry kick off their SA tour amid great fanfare.

- Nicola Whitfield

Even the harshest critic would have to agree it was a great start. The sun shone, everyone danced, music played and the royal couple were warm, engaging and clearly enjoying themselves.

For Harry and Meghan, embarking on the first engagement of their debut African tour shortly after touching down in Cape Town, Nyanga was a powerful way to kick things off.

The township on the Cape Flats is a troubled place that regularly records the highest number of murders in South Africa each year. But the day the Duke and Duchess of Sussex came to town, there was nothing but smiles, hugs and song.

The couple thrust the global spotlight on the hotspot, going to the heart of it to interact with people and bring happiness and excitement wherever they went.

Before she set offon the tour, Meghan (38) said she was going to make gender abuse one of her focuses and she was as good as her word.

The duchess stood on a tree stump in her high wedges to address crowds of women and girls supported by the community charity, The Justice Desk.

She started her speech by acknowledging she was here with her husband as a member of the royal family.

“But I want you to know I’m here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour and as your sister.”

Women abuse had been at the forefront of people’s minds in South Africa and around the globe, particularly over this past month, she added.