EACH year, on August 9, South Africans of all backgrounds, races and cultural groups join together to celebrate National Women’s Day. This annual public holiday commemorates an eventful day in South Africa’s history – August 9, 1956.09
On this day, 68 years ago, 20 000 women marched to the Union Building in Tshwane. The marchers’ aims were to protest the introduction and carrying out of the apartheid pass laws for black women in 1952 and to present a petition to the then-Prime Minister JG Strijdom.
The results of this significant protest continue to be seen in this day and age, in various spheres of society, government, corporate and even households. Women became an integral part of change – their presence could not be ignored.
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Women today continue to find their place – they are raising their voices louder in protest of injustices and inequality, be it in the workplace, sports or society.
The Constitution lays the foundation for women’s rights. The courts have embraced newer laws in terms of gender-based violence (GBV), and the police prioritise these crimes.
Although the road is long in most social spheres, the fight continues and the younger generation carries the responsibility to hold the baton with a firm grip until it is passed on to the next.
Today, women face a different beast. Some are heads of households and single mothers, and some are grappling with poverty, unemployment, violence, mental and physical health problems, illiteracy, exclusion, sabotage and many more issues. More education and awareness are some of the solutions to empower them as early as possible. Women’s empowerment should not be seen as anti-man. It should be viewed for exactly what it is: building skills and enlightening.
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Many women have broken barriers and made history thus far. This generation of women continues to record the ‘firsts’ in science, aviation, technology, education and finances, to name a few.
Celebrations of Women’s Day light up social calendars across the country, and women of all creeds commemorate who they are and who they wish to be. Let the fire that was ignited in 1956 continue to burn, and let its flames illuminate the paths ahead.
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