The Duke and
Duchess of Sussex have landed ready to begin their tour of South Africa, starting in a township dubbed the country’s “murder capital”. The couple were photographed with baby Archie Mountbatten-Windsor walking down the steps of a commercial flight into Cape Town, with the baby well wrapped up for his journey. Cradled in his mother's arms, Archie wore a bobble hat and warm sleep suit to keep out the strong Cape Town wind. The royals landed in Africa on a
British Airways flight that arrived almost 40 minutes late, and were flanked by staff in high visibility jackets, one with the initials VIP on the back. As they disembarked ahead of their first appearance in the city this afternoon, they waved to wellwishers before travelling to their accommodation to settle Archie in. The Sussexes first official stop is in Nyanga township in Cape Town, where specialist British
police have spent months scouting to ensure the safety of the Duke and Duchess. Its location could not be disclosed until this morning for fear of jeopardising the Royal visit to a church and children’s centre.
Prince Harry meets children in Nyanga township Credit: PA As they arrived, the Duke and Duchess were greeted by local musicians and dancers under the beaming sun, holding hands as they walked passed the media to meet representatives of The Justice Desk. A small boy held his arms up as the Duchess said "hello", before she enveloped him in a hug. Prince Harry, meanwhile, joined in with children dancing. Meghan wore a £69 monochrome dress by Mayamiko, an "ethical and sustainable woman's wear and life style brand" from Malawi. The company provides training in sewing and business skills to disadvantaged women, many of whom have or care for a child who has HIV. Harry has all the moves! pic.twitter.com/Na84sWJHtg— Emily Nash (@emynash) September 23, 2019 Official police figures show almost 1,500 people were murdered in Nyanga over the past five years, including 289 last year. Hours before the visit, South African police announced they were hunting a gunman on the loose in Nyanga, who had shot at officers on patrol on Saturday and then fled. The ‘notorious’ township has the highest murder rate in a country plagued by violence and is described in local media as South Africa’s murder capital. Dancers in Nyanga Credit: Reuters Diplomatic sources said British close protection police had been working with South African counterparts for several months to ensure the family’s security. Cape Town’s sprawling shanty towns, that stretch along the notorious Cape Flats, are so dangerous, that in July 1,300 South African soldiers were deployed in an attempt to keep the peace among warring gangs. Latest official figures show murders in the Western Cape, which includes Cape Town, rose to nearly 4,000 in the year up to April 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at their first engagement Credit: Reuters Nynaga is around two sq miles in size, is situated 16 miles east of the centre of Cape Town, and has a population of around 200,000. The decision to go to the township - having first dropped off Archie at an undisclosed residence following an 11-hour commercial flight - signifies the Sussexes determination to be taken seriously. The workshop they visit teaches children self-defence and provides “female empowerment training to young girls”. The workshop is run by The Justice Desk, a non-profit organisation which is supported by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, of which the Duke serves as president and the Duchess as vice-president. Video: a little boy here at the community centre wanted to show harry his drawing, which was v sweet. Lots of hugs here from Harry & Meghan to staff, kids and locals who all work with @queenscomtrust which, of course, H&M; are Pres & VP. A great start to RoyalVisitSouthAfrica ���� pic.twitter.com/c9kf3yH67m— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) September 23, 2019 The Duke and Duchess will first arrive at Nyanga Methodist Church where they will meet Jessica Dewhurst, the Justice Desk founder, and Theodora Luthuli, a community leader with the charity. The Royal couple will observe the Mbokodo Girls’ Empowerment programme, which teaches self-defence classes to girls who have suffered “major trauma”. The project’s motto is ‘waithint’ abafazi wathint’imbokodo’ (when you strike a women; you strike a rock). From the township the Duke and Duchess will visit District 6 Museum, which highlights the injustices of the apartheid era. There is already controversy over the visit with one community leader calling on the Duke to apologise for what he claimed was Britain’s role in helping to create the apartheid system. The children of The Justice Project Credit: Reuters Shahied Ajam, chairman of the District Six Working Committee, said: “Prince Harry is a representative of a former colonial power that was the architect of what transpired in District Six. Forced removals and the other apartheid evils had their roots in colonialism. The English don’t have a good history in South Africa. They enforced and implemented segregation.” Mr Ajam also complained his organisation, representing 3,000 families forcibly removed from their homes in Cape Town’s District 6 and who want to return there, had not been invited to today’s visit. From the museum, The Duke and Duchess will walk to the nearby District 6 Homecoming Centre, which provides a meeting place for former residents of the area. In 1966, the partheid regime declared District 6 a whites-only area and forcibly relocated 60,000 residents to townships in Cape Flats that include Nyanga. Archie Mountbatten- Windsor has begun his first overseas tour Credit: AFP At the Homecoming Centre, the couple will meet former residents and prepare some food which they will share in “a community cooking activity to showcase… the cultural diversity of the area”. The event will be the last of the day with the Royal couple returning to their base in Cape Town to be reunited with Archie. Buckingham Palace has acknowledged the difficulties of organising an intrepid tour that takes in four countries in ten days. The Duchess and Archie will remain in
South Africa while the Duke flies to Botswana, Angola and Malawi before rejoining his wife in Johannesburg at the end of the trip. Factoring in Archie has added to the complications, the Palace admitted on Sunday.. Meghan at the Hubb Community Kitchen Credit: Getty A spokesman said: “We have an extra special small passenger to make things more lively.” Archie is expected to feature at some point in the tour but Royal watchers may have to wait until day three on Wednesday when the Duchess visits the mothers2mothers charity, which trains and employs women with HIV. Archie’s hand-me-down clothes and toys are expected to be donated to the Cape Town charity. It would be the ideal opportunity for Archie to make his presence felt on the tour. Archie will be looked after by a nanny when the Duke and Duchess are on official duties.