In a bid to commemorate the National Women’s Day, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa led the nation in commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March on Sunday, 09 August at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
He described the occasion as one of the most important days on South Africa’s national calendar, Ramaphosa honoured the more than 20 000 women who marched against the apartheid government’s pass laws on 9 August 1956.
“Today is no ordinary commemoration. National Women’s Day is a day on which we honour the women of South Africa. But it is also a day of profound significance for our entire country. The Women’s March of 1956 was not a footnote in our struggle for freedom. That helped to change the course, the character and the leadership of that struggle. It demonstrated that women were not merely supporters of the struggle. They were its leaders, its organisers and its authors.”
On that day in 1956, women marched to the seat of apartheid power, bearing petitions with some 100 000 signatures and then stood in complete and determined silence. He saluted the four women who were at the forefront of the march, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie de Bruyn.
Leaps of democracy
Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa has made significant strides to empower women, with women occupying some of the country’s highest offices, including that of Ministers and Deputy Ministers and other political offices, Chief Justice, National Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Public Protector and Auditor-General.
“These gains matter. They were fought for. They must be defended.
“South Africa ranks highly on global indices…for women’s empowerment, including for gender parity, educational outcomes, financial inclusion, and political representation and decision-making. We are proud of how far we have come. We are proud to stand on the shoulders of giants, of the imbokodo of 1956,” the president said.
Gender-based violence
At the same time, he acknowledged that much work remains to be done, particularly in addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which the government has classified as a national disaster.
“In 1956, the women of our country lived in fear of being arrested for not having a pass. Today, women live in fear of the gender-based violence that continues to stalk them in the streets of our country, in the pathways of our villages and in their homes.
“That is why we classified [GBVF] as a national disaster. We did so, so that we could harness all the resources and capabilities of the state to end these crimes. [GBVF] is not a women’s problem. It is a problem of society. It is a problem of violent men,” he emphasised.
The President called on men and boys to step forward and be part of the solution.
“We must prevent this violence, as we are doing, by working with young men, with the support of traditional, community and religious leaders. We need to steer men away from behaviours as well as mindsets that breed violence against women.
“We need to break the silence that renders us complicit in this crime. It is not only the perpetrators of such acts that are guilty. It is also when we choose to look away,” the President insisted.
Looking to the future
The President urged South Africans to come together to honour the legacy of the women of 1956 by “delivering the future for which they marched”.
“We commit to build a South Africa in which no woman’s potential is limited by poverty, prejudice, violence or discrimination. We will build a nation in which women are equal in law, equal in opportunity, equal in safety and equal in power.
“The women of South Africa have shaped our freedom, and we thank them. Together, we will shape our future,” he said.
