The Duke and Duchess of Susse will undertake the following engagements today:
- visit a township near Johannesburg and meet with local youth and entrepreneurs, as well as see efforts to combat South African youth’s rising unemployment challenge.
- meet with Graça Machel, the window of Nelson Mandela.
- attend a reception in honor of the U.K. and South Africa’s business and investment relationship
- have an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Dr. Tshepo Motsepe.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit the township of Tembisa
From Sussex Royal Instagram:
In Tembisa, Johannesburg, today The Duke and Duchess visited to meet young entrepreneurs at the YES hub – a hive for creativity and social enterprise. Their visit was an amazing tour of the ingenuity and opportunity – seeing businesses that varied from food to essential sanitary products for local women.
During their visit, they were able to sample food from ‘Chef Mish’ – a local masterchef winner – which he makes at the site as part of his catering business and cafe. They then joined YES community members to take part in training and tests that will help them gain skills and find work.
On the third stop today, entrepreneur Moss showed The Duke and Duchess the organic produce he’s growing in the township with aquaponics – supplying local restaurants.
And finally, The Duke and Duchess met the women behind the amazing Blossom Care Solutions – who are making 80,000 sanitary pads every month for women in their community. They are 100% compostable, and provide an essential low-cost product for women and girls.
The Duchess has long campaigned on this issue and wrote in Time magazine in 2017, saying:
“In communities all over the globe, young girls’ potential is being squandered because we are too shy to talk about the most natural thing in the world. To that I say: we need to push the conversation, mobilize policy making surrounding menstrual health initiatives, support organizations who foster girls’ education from the ground up, and within our own homes, we need to rise above our puritanical bashfulness when it comes to talking about menstruation.”
See the Duke’s speech below.
From Sussex Royal Instagram:
On the final day of their tour of Africa, The Duke and Duchess visited Tembisa, a township in Johannesburg, to meet young entrepreneurs at a hub that helps create opportunity, and is a hive for creativity and social enterprise. Discover more of the visit in our stories.
The Duke said:
“It’s moments like today and meeting all of you, that inspires us. Whether supporting young entrepreneurs, empowering women and girls, or challenging the issue of gender-based violence; whether it’s been planting trees, clearing landmines, or protecting the most beautiful creatures and places on the planet, these experiences have affirmed our love of Africa, and the issues that are so important to us.
We will firmly stand up for what we believe. We are fortunate enough to have a position that gives us amazing opportunities, and we want to do all we can to play our part in building a better world.
We will always seek to challenge injustice and to speak out for those who may feel unheard. So no matter your background, your nationality, your age or gender, your sexuality, your physical ability, no matter your circumstance or colour or of your skin – we believe in you, and we intend to spend our entire lives making sure you have the opportunity to succeed – and to change the world.”
The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex meet Graca Machel, widow of the late Nelson Mandel
From Sussex Royal Instagram:
Today as they near the end of #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica The Duke and Duchess have been able to spend time with Graça Machel – the politician, humanitarian, and international advocate for women’s and children’s rights.
Their Royal Highnesses were delighted to be able to meet Graça and her family, and talk about their shared passion for their work on equality and human rights.
Graça, who was married to former South African President and anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela, was made an honorary British Dame by Her Majesty The Queen for her contributions and services to human rights protection.
Reception in honor of the U.K. and South Africa’s business and investment relationship
From Susex Royal Instagram:
In her final speech of #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica, The Duchess of Sussex had an important message to young people around the world
“I remember being a young girl watching TV and seeing what was happening in the world, and frankly, often feeling despair. When you constantly see and hear negativity, it can be overwhelming; you can feel powerless, and lost, you can feel different, confused, or like you just don’t belong.
And I’m sure there is a young girl or boy watching this and thinking the exact same thing.
So, this is for you.
In a world that that can seem so aggressive, confrontational, and dangerous, you should know that you have the power to change it.
Because whether you’re here in South Africa, at home in the UK, the US or around the world, you actually have the power within you to change things, and that begins with how you connect to others.
I have learned from the people I’ve met here, that whether it’s about society’s expectations of masculinity or femininity, or how we divide ourselves by race or faith or class or status- everyone has value, and everyone deserves to be heard and respected. And if you live your life in thatway, your generation will start to value each other in ways the rest of us have not yet been able to do so.”
Audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Dr. Tshepo Motsepe
More Updates coming soon.
