Let’s celebrate trailblazing women and their contribution to society and the country

With Women’s Month coming to an end, I wanted to reflect on whether or not it is important to celebrate national holidays – especially those with significant historical backgrounds like Youth Day and Women’s Day.

Every year, Women’s Day highlights important issues women in the country still face: domestic violence, discrimination and harassment in the workplace, equal pay, education for girls and more, while Youth Day highlights the soaring youth unemployment.

But at the beginning of this month a shock wave went through SA after eight women were allegedly gang-raped and robbed on the set of a music video in Krugersdorp. Not only were we horrified by the act, but we learned this gruesome incident was a norm for those living in Krugersdorp.

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Understandably, the headlines highlighted why it was hard for South African women to celebrate Women’s Day or even Women’s Month – and looking at how it was handled, compared to many other cases’ handling, it validated the decision not to celebrate.

The many social issues facing all South Africans, such as corruption, poverty, high unemployment, lack of quality education, lack of service delivery, inequality and violent crime, have significantly restricted many – if not all – South Africans from enjoying their rights.

We know women have had a long history of oppression and discrimination and had to fight long and hard for getting all the rights men enjoy. However, should these issues take away from the history made by the 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956?

We know that this day commemorates a very important part of the South African history, when women of all the races participated in that march against the Urban Areas Act of 1950 amendments.

On the day, they submitted a petition containing more than 100 000 signatures against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a pass. It served to maintain segregation, control urbanisation and manage migrant labour during the apartheid era.

If we say we will not celebrate, are we, in fact, choosing not to pay tribute to the generations of women whose struggles laid the foundations for the progress made in empowering women and achieving gender equality to date?

Yes, we are far from achieving equality as women in SA, but are we not empowered to draw strength and resilience from the four incredibly brave women – Amina Cachalia, Lillian Ngoyi, Ray Simons and Helen Joseph – and their contribution to society and country.

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Every day we are shocked by a brutal killing of a woman or child. Every day we’re forced to live in fear of either being raped or killed. However, on Women’s Day it’s important to celebrate amazing women at the helm of their industries making massive contribution to South Africa.

We must celebrate women in leadership – Poppy Khoza, a director of the South African Civil Aviation Authority; founder and managing director of Lale Communications Landiwe Manana; Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu – because we do have phenomenal, trailblazing women who deserve to be celebrated.

We need to remember women like whistleblowers Babita Deokaran and those whose lives were cut short like Reeva Steenkamp and Karabo Mokoena. They remind us how far we have come. They remind us of the long road that still lies ahead…