A day that serves as as reminder of a time when women, from all walks of life in South African, united to march to the Union Buildings.
This was so they could show their dissatisfaction with the past laws.
Though the significance of that day may not be remembered by some young people of today, women in our societie continue fighting against numerous social ills and challenges.
We still have women who are raising children on their own, women being oppressed in the work place and young girls and women being raped and abused.
Furthermore, in other parts of our country, we still have girls who are deprived of an education, girls who miss school because they cannot afford sanitary towels among other things.
These are some problems that are still silently eating us up as women but the only way we can win the battle, is if we can stand together and unite to fight against these social ills.
Because through it all, women continue being pillars of strength in our communities.
And if we can come together, like the women who marched in 1956, then we can pull through anything.
We are more powerful than we think, therefore we need to strive to support, help, care, inspire, motivate and groom one another instead of pulling each other down, so we can move forward.
Why not put our heads together like those women of the past so we can make things happen, because as women we have the strength and courage to do so.
Growing up I was blessed to have a mother and aunts who taught me that I should get an education and be independent enough to stand on my own.
This has always stayed with me and as I grew up, I came to a realisation that when all is said and done no one could take my education away from me.
Furthermore, people would always treat me the way I allowed them to.
So today, as a young person, I challenge all other women to unite in today’s fight against rape, abuse, oppression, HIV/Aids, lack of education and teenage pregnancy.
Let us make every day Women’s Day by inspiring each other as women, and let those of us who are raising young girls allow them to grow to be strong independent women who can stand up for themselves and know their worth.
Make them learn not to depend on anyone else but themselves and, most importantly, they must know what you deserve in life and not be apologetic about it.
