Meghan and Harry head to the beach in South Africa

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

Updated 10:52 p.m. ET, September 24, 2019
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5:15 a.m. ET, September 24, 2019

"There's so much good happening in the world," says Meghan

Meghan and Harry speak to CNN's Max Foster on the second day of their royal tour of South Africa.
Meghan and Harry speak to CNN's Max Foster on the second day of their royal tour of South Africa. Lauren Moorhouse/CNN

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has hailed the work of a charity trying to steer young people away from violence in the townships of South Africa.

"What’s so amazing about being here today is seeing there is so much good happening in the world and there’s so much positivity, and ... diversity and inclusivity," she told CNN's Max Foster in False Bay, Cape Town.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the couple's photocall introducing baby Archie to the world in May, Meghan praised the efforts of the mentors at Waves for Change, an organization that uses surfing to encourage teenagers not to get involved in crime.

5:15 a.m. ET, September 24, 2019

South Africa's surfers help kids recover

From CNN's David McKenzie and Brent Swails

On Tuesday, Prince Harry and wife, Meghan, are visiting Waves for Change – an innovative charity that takes children out of the violent neighborhoods they live in and teaches them how to surf and, hopefully, how to heal. 

Where they live is just a few miles away, but the contrast couldn’t be starker.

“It is better here because they shoot where we live,” said 12-year-old Chloe, “They shoot, they rape people, they abuse people.”

Waves for Change was started by Tim Conibear, who traveled to South Africa after graduating from university in the UK.

Between fifty and eighty children are brought to the beaches around False Bay for weekly sessions. First, they talk about their experiences in a kind of relaxed group therapy session – then they suit up in wetsuits and hit the waves. 

Simply separating them from their environments so they can be be outside of gang and crime affected areas is important, says Keenan Adonis, a coach for the charity.

“Things like violence fascinates them. Because it's happening at their the next door neighbor's, it's happening in the next road. They stand near the crime scene. They want to see what is happening. They want to know, 'Is that my friend laying there?’” he said.  

Adonis says that the kids like Chloe, who stick with the program, are transformed.

“It helps me because we have manners here, no swearing, no fighting and they care about us here,” Chloe said.

4:25 a.m. ET, September 24, 2019

Harry and Meghan arrive for first engagement of the day

From CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse in Cape Town

Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived for the day’s first event — meeting volunteers from Waves for Change, a local initiative in False Bay that uses surfing to provide mental health service to vulnerable young people from challenging communities.

Lauren Moorhouse/CNN
Lauren Moorhouse/CNN

4:21 a.m. ET, September 24, 2019

Archiewatch continues after Meghan and Harry show off their moves

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex kicked off their tour in southern Africa with their first stop in Cape Town on Monday.

They headed to Nyanga township to meet members of a local initiative who educate children about their rights and empower young girls through self-defense classes.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex dance with a group of performers at their first engagement in South Africa after touching down in Cape Town on Monday.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex dance with a group of performers at their first engagement in South Africa after touching down in Cape Town on Monday. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Harry appeared to be a big hit with the young well-wishers gathered in Nyanga.
Prince Harry appeared to be a big hit with the young well-wishers gathered in Nyanga. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan gave a powerful speech Monday, praising the female empowerment work being done by the Justice Desk. "I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister," she said.
Meghan gave a powerful speech Monday, praising the female empowerment work being done by the Justice Desk. "I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister," she said. Ian Vogler/Pool/Getty Images

After a quick wardrobe change for Meghan, Cape Town residents were treated to a royal walkabout when the pair traveled to District Six, a formerly multicultural neighborhood which was declared "Whites Only" under apartheid, forcing residents from their homes.

Enthusiastic crowds of well-wishers were delighted to see the royal couple on the streets, despite the fact they left baby Archie with his nanny.

One royal fan described the moment the Duke and his wife came over to the barricade and shook his hand as "an out-of-body experience" while another joked that he was "never going to wash this hand again."

3:29 a.m. ET, September 24, 2019

Day 2: A beach visit, boat ride and Bo Kaap

Meghan and Harry smile as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on Monday.
Meghan and Harry smile as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on Monday. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to day two of our coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tour of South Africa. The pair are on a 10-day tour of southern Africa, with Harry due to head to Botswana, Angola and Malawi later this week.

It's another busy day for our traveling royals as they head to Monwabisi Beach, near Cape Town's Khayelitsha township. There they will meet with community initiatives including Waves for Change, an NGO that offers mental health services to vulnerable young people, and The Lunchbox Fund, a local scheme that supplies nearly 30,000 meals to several townships and rural areas.

Harry will then leave Meghan in Cape Town and head off solo, traveling to Seal Island accompanied by officers from the City of Cape Town Marine Unit where he will learn about their efforts to tackle abalone poaching.

Later, the pair will head to Cape Town's Bo Kaap area to mark Heritage Day. They will tour the Auwal Mosque, the oldest masjid in South Africa, before walking around the vibrantly-colored streets of Bo Kaap, taking tea at the home of some local residents.

The Sussexes will round out the day attending a reception at the British High Commissioner Nigel Casey's residence, where they will have the opportunity to chat to young future leaders.