Women’s Month celebrated in August
In August, we commemorate the historic protest of 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, on 9 August 1956.
AUGUST is Women’s Month.
This commemorates the historic march of 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, on 9 August 1956. On this day, the women of South Africa protested the Pass Laws.
A written request to meet with the Prime Minister JG Strydom was refused.
Women from all walks of life came together to protest against the Apartheid government.
The struggle song, Wathint abafazi, wathint imbokodo – You strike a woman, you strike a rock, echoed through the jacaranda trees of Pretoria, as the women marched on the Union Buildings.
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Once at the Union Buildings the 20 000 strong crowd stood silently for 30 minutes, in a unified group. This was at Lilian Ngoyi’s suggestion.
The protest was co-ordinated by members of the Federation of South African Women (FSAW), including Amina Cachalia, Lillian Ngoyi, Ray Simons and Helen Joseph, and the Congress Alliance. The FSAW attempted to found a multi-cultural women’s organization with the goal of the protection of women and children.
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In August, we honour nameless generations of women who came before us and paved the way for women empowerment.
Women’s Month allows for an assessment of progress in the societal transformation between men and women and the addressing of issues such as gender oppression, sexism, racism, ageism and structural oppression.
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