This year marks the 60th anniversary of the historic women’s march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against pass laws.For years now the day of the march which is August 9 has been celebrated as Women’s Day. This day is all about recognizing and celebrating the role of women in the struggle for liberation and all other aspects of life.
Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-de Bruyn are today famous for being the leaders of that march which shook the capital city and the whole country.
The then country’s prime minister Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom was supposed to receive a memorandum from the women but was too scared to face them.
The events of August 1956 signaled a turning point in the history of his country and the role of women in the struggle could no longer go unnoticed. Six decades later, women especially black still face a variety of challenges in this country over and above racism.
On the eve of Women’s Day on Monday, Williams-de Bruyn said it is still going to take a long time for these challenges to be overcome.
She said it was important for women of all race groups to mobilize and fight for their rights.
“We must continue with nation building and cohesion,” she said.
