Meghan Markle Makes Secret Visit to Pay Tribute to Slain Nene in Cape Town, South Africa
Meghan Markle has made a special secret trip to Clareinch Post Office in Cape Town to pay tribute to Uyinene Mrwetyana (Nene), the 19-year-old University of Cape Town student who was raped and murdered last month, according to reports in the UK media. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace confirmed her visit, saying: “We can confirm […]
Meghan Markle has made a special secret trip to Clareinch Post Office in Cape Town to pay tribute to Uyinene Mrwetyana (Nene), the 19-year-old University of Cape Town student who was raped and murdered last month, according to reports in the UK media.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace confirmed her visit, saying: “We can confirm that earlier this week The Duchess made a private visit to the memorial of Uyinene Mrwetyana.
“Having closely followed the tragic story, it was a personal gesture she wanted to make.”
Nene’s brutal murder in a Post Office – along with other murders at the time – shook South Africa, leading to protests, silent vigils and a campaign across the country that resulted in law enforcement and President Cyril Ramaphosa promising a major crackdown on crime against women. A 42-year-old Post Office employee has been arrested, and has confessed to the rape and murder of Nene.
Schoolgirls across the road from the post office told The Sun newspaper that they were asked not to take photos of Meghan by her security team, and that it “meant so much” to them that she cared enough to visit privately and wasn’t doing it for the publicity.
Meghan has touched the hearts of so many South Africans with her caring gestures and candidness during the trip, including a speech on Monday in which she told the crowd gathered in Nyanga township:
“May I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me, I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour and as your sister.”
During her personal visit to Nene’s memorial – which took place while Prince Harry was away in Botswana and Angola – the Duchess of Sussex reportedly left a yellow ribbon on which she wrote in Xhosa:
“We stand together in this situation. Harry and Meghan September 26, 2019”
The visit to Nene’s memorial would have meant a lot to the former Suits TV star, who revealed earlier this week that her and Prince Harry have been following the local news (referring to the murders and gender based violence in Cape Town).
She said: “Please know that my husband and I have been closely following what you’ve been experiencing here, as best as we can from afar. Everything that is being done on the ground is making the great change that you not only need but that you deserve.”
Prince Harry said: “No man is born to cause harm to women. This is learned behaviour and we need to break that cycle.”
Meanwhile, yesterday Prince Harry walked in the footsteps of his mother, Princess Diana, whilst in Angola. Many have said on social media how proud she would have been to have seen her son with his family in Africa this week, engaged in several uplifting projects.
Today he is due to meet Angolan President Joao Lourenco in Luanda, and on Tuesday he will meet President Peter Mutharika in Malawi and pay tribute at the memorial site for British soldier Guardsman Mathew Talbot, who was killed in May while taking part in counter poaching operations in the country.
Harry will then rejoin Meghan and Archie for a township visit on Wednesday near Johannesburg. They will meet Graca Machel, widow of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, and President Cyril Ramaphosa before departing for London. Prince Harry too has melted hearts in South Africa.
Sources: The Sun, Reuters, SAPeople, Daily Mail