By Sifelani Tsiko
Harare,Zimbabwe
(Aug 18 2006)
[Republished 3/12/07]

Recently a powerful union of more than 20,000 South African women re-lived the protest of 9 August 1956 against apartheid laws by marching together to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to mark the Women's Day celebrations.

The march was in honour of women of the struggle who braved apartheid brutality in 1956 and marched in protest against the past laws which restricted the free movement of black women.

"It is an ideal time to celebrate and reflect on the status of women today an the advances made since that historical day when South African women organised one of the largest and most successful protests in the country's history," said one political analysts.

She said even though the issues that concerned women in the 1950s were very different from the issues facing women in modern day South Africa, the background of the 1956 Women's March has helped women of today to organise themselves politically and within the community to take up the challenges of the day.

The celebrations which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March, were also attended by some women who participated in that epic march.

"The situation on the day (Aug 9, 1956) was very electrifying as everybody was looking forward to a serious confrontation," Amina Cachalia recalled. "As a young person at the time, the march was a learning curve for a journey that finally came to the election of the new democratic government."

The anti-pass campaigns were led by women of the struggle who included Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, Sophy Williams and Lilian Ngoyi, all of the Federation of South African Women.

The leaders delivered petitions to apartheid Prime Minister JG Strijdom's office at the Union Buildings opposing the pass laws.

On that day, the women wore traditional clothing while others displayed the green, black and gold of the ANC, some women marched with babies strapped on their backs in an effort to vent their anger over the past laws.

"We were all enthusiastic to get there and see this Boer bass and tell him that we are not going to carry those things (passes)," recalled Dorothy Masenya, one of the heroes of the march.

"We wanted to see whether we were going to be arrested, or where would they find a prison for this entire mob. You see that was the big idea 'o a bona' (you see) if they arrest one we all walk in and there is no turning back...so instead, really, they gave us a way out. nobody was arrested on that day."

The South African women handed  a memorandum of their conference to President Thabo Mbeki. The memorandum was on the launch of the Progressive Movement of South African Women, which aims to promote the advancement of women and eliminate discrimination against them.

Mbeki paid tribute to the brave women of 1956.
"Thus, when we demand as we will always do, that women must have equal access to all opportunities our society provides as well as positions of authority in the public and private sector, we are not extending any favours to our women," he said.

"We are merely confirming what they themselves have fought for."
Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru met her counterparts Mrs. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, South Africa's deputy president and Mozambican Prime Minister Mrs. Luisa Diogo at the celebrations.

The three women, hold powerful and influential positions in governments in southern Africa. The leaders pledged to work together to strengthen the networking of women in this part of the region.  Dr. Namane Magau, the president of the Businesswomen's Association (SA) said in an interview with City Press that it was time to dispel the stereotype that women cannot do both jobs successfully -working and looking after the children.

She says it is time the corporate world meets the home environment.
"Women should be able to excuse themselves from the boardroom because their child wants 15 minutes of their time. We need to be more assertive and teach the corporate world that no-one performs strictly one role," she says.

Dr. Magau says the general outlook of women's status in South Africa is very positive with opportunities for transformation in the future.

 "South African women are fortunate to live in a country that honours, and is receptive to, women and their needs. Even the outside world acknowledges, and has been influenced by, the impressive women that have come from our shores to represent us internationally," she says.

"We have a 43 percent representation in Cabinet and the business sector. The challenge now is to elevate working-class women in rural areas. "Our environment has policies that push companies to enable women to effectively partake in decision-making - and then there is BEE (Black Economic Empowerment programme)." 

"Real success lies in much greater integration and strengthening social cohesion," she says. It is now encouraging that women in South Africa have launched a new project that is working to capture and preserve information about unsung heroines who took part in the March of 1956. The story of most of the women of the struggle who were involved in the 1956 protest has never been told fully.

There is no doubt that this in addition to the commemorations held each year on August 9 will release the creative power of African women in the struggle for emancipation, social justice and economic empowerment.

Amandla!