Anthony Hamilton reconnects with his 'second home' ahead of Women’s Day concert

JOHANNESBURG - After arriving in Johannesburg on Friday night ahead of his highly anticipated Women’s Day concert, Grammy-winning R&B star Anthony Hamilton wasted no time reconnecting with the country he calls his "second home".

In the days leading up to his performance alongside Zonke Dikana and Joe Thomas, Hamilton has immersed himself in several activities such as a charity bike ride, lunch with fans and on Monday he visited Constitution Hill, the Hector Pieterson Museum and former President Nelson Mandela’s old home in Soweto.

Hamilton retraced the steps of South Africa’s fight for freedom, saying the experience left him spiritually grounded and deeply moved.

The Soweto tour included a stop at the Hector Pieterson Museum, in Orlando West, where the singer met Antoinette Sithole, Pieterson's sister.

Sithole offers tours at the Museum constructed a few streets from the scene of her brother's shooting.

"I had a chance to see and to learn more about the history of not just Johannesburg, but Soweto, the history of Soweto. And, you know, saw some of the people, the locals. And it's been really heartwarming," said Hamilton.

He concluded his tour at the former Nelson Mandela residence, located at 8115 Vilakazi St.

Hamilton described the visit to Mandela’s old home as soul-stirring and divinely aligned.

“In my spirit, I was able to take that in. I was at a place that only God could have planned for me, it implied that I was meant to be present. And I'm tied to that legacy, whatever it was,” he said.

“It felt like I was meant to be here,” he reflected, an echo of the connection he’s felt with the country since his first visit in 2003.

It's always an honour to be here, man. Every time I return the love is even stronger," he said.

The Women’s Day concert on August 9th at Wanderers Stadium will feature Joe Thomas, Zonke, Sjava and Vusi Nova.

Fact Box 

• Constitution Hill, a living museum that chronicles the history of democracy in South Africa.
• Once a military fort and prison and is now home to South Africa's Constitutional Court, which upholds the rights of all residents. It is a reminder of the country's violent past.
• Mandela's cell in the Old Fort, where he was the only Black prisoner housed in the white male section of the institution to prevent him from influencing other Black inmates.
• The now-national monument at the former Nelson Mandela residence, located at 8115 Vilakazi St., Orlando West, Soweto, where he and his family resided from 1946 until roughly 1990.