National Women’s Day: What makes it so special?

National Women’s Day on 9 August is one of several public holidays in South Africa, but why is this one special?

National Women’s Day celebrations started in 1994 and are now held every year. It is also regarded with great respect and serves as a moment to reflect on the advancements in women’s rights as well as a reminder of the significant contributions women make to society.

The South African government [https://www.dsac.gov.za/womens-day] had the following to say about Women’s Month:

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A significant number of women launched a campaign to get rid of the pass restrictions that the government was enforcing on August 9, 1956.

Due to the pass laws, all black people were required to carry a unique identity card, or ‘pass’, which they had to show to be allowed entry into areas reserved for white people.

This was a significant apartheid law that severely limited black people’s freedom of movement.

About 20 000 women started the campaign by marching to the Union Buildings in the City of Pretoria to express their disapproval of the planned changes to the 1950 Urban Areas Act, also known as the pass laws.

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To add, Helen Joseph, Lilian Ngoyi, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn spearheaded this historic march on August 9, 1956.

Numerous petitions bearing the signatures of more than 100 000 people were delivered to JG Stijdom, the prime minister at the time.

They stood silently outside his office for around 30 minutes after turning in these documents. The women soon started singing a protest song.

These remarks demonstrate the extraordinary bravery and tenacity of these women.