Upon setting her feet in the University of Johannesburg, Meghan was applauded and cheered by well-wishers as well as by the Director of the British Council in South Africa Susana Glavan, and the Vice-chancellor of the University, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala. The Duchess of Sussex spoke to the students and the academics at the University of Johannesburg today on matters of gender equality. The royal family is on a 10-day tour in Africa. Meghan visited the university to address the issue of gender equality in centers of higher education. Prince Harry, on the other hand, attended a minefield, and together with Meghan and their baby Archie, they met Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu for some talk.
A 19-year-old student at the university could not hide his enthusiasm for the amazing lady Meghan. Samukelisiwa Nomusa Shongwe describes the duchess as a great person. “She has done so many things, She has contributed to society, especially to African society,” she said. “She is interested in playing a positive role by speaking about gender abuse and gender equality,” the student concluded.
“True to what you said when a woman is empowered, it changes absolutely everything in the community, and starting an educational atmosphere is a key point of that,” she said. Instead of failing to give women opportunities for growth and investment, the society should embrace the virtue of supporting women in realizing their dreams.
During the round table discussion with ACU at the University of Johannesburg, Meghan promised three gender grants to the University of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Western Cape. These grants comprise of financial aid that will be used to fund gender-based initiatives and to support the female members of staff in facing challenges posed by higher education facilities. She took over the position for the role of the patron of the Association of Common Wealth Universities (ACU) from the queen of Sussex in January.
“The goal here is to have gender equality, to be able to support women as they are working in research and higher education roles,” she said.
Meghan’s notable fight for women is handy for the growth of African society. She will stop at nothing until the women in universities realize opportunities for growth and improvement.
In efforts to show how serious she is about this topic, she related to her own success story. Meghan narrated how her university studies were only possible through the support of a scholarship and little help from the family. “If you don’t have the support that is necessary that you feel you can keep taking the next step, then you’re in stunted growth,” she told the discussion group. Women can only grow when they access financial support in their education.
Before the visit to the university, Meghan had met with a group of remarkable women to discuss the issue of gender equality. She considered this topic with several women, one of them being Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, a founder of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. Later the Duchess of Sussex is expected to tour a health center in Malawi.
