August is a very important month! It’s a time for reflection, a time for celebration, a time to assess the challenges that women face, and a time to recommit ourselves to continue the struggle for women’s empowerment and a just society that was started in South Africa by many courageous women on 9 August 1956.

On National Women’s Day, we reflect on that first historic day when over 20,000 women of all ages and races from all over South Africa marched towards the Union Buildings in Pretoria in defiance of the impending pass laws that would severely restrict their freedom of movement. On that day, women proved that they were not powerless to make significant changes to a way of life that discriminated against them, primarily because of their race, but also because of their class and their gender.

We need to applaud and recognise the bravery of these women who risked official reprisals, including arrest, torture, detention and banning. The march showed that the commonly accepted stereotype that saw women as being politically inept, immature and tied to the home was outdated and inaccurate.

Even though the issues that concerned women in the 1950s are very different from the issues that women in South Africa face today, the 1956 women’s march has helped the women of today to organise themselves both politically and within the community to take up the challenges of the day. The 1956 march helped to shape the ideologies of many people, especially those who drafted the South African Constitution and the Commission of Gender and Equality.

Our Constitution, legislation and policies make provision for the protection and promotion of the rights of women and all vulnerable groups in society. Women now have greater opportunities than ever before, and many women have risen to the challenge by entering the business world, starting their own businesses, and becoming directors of companies; women today are also a force to be reckoned with in politics.

However, there is sadly still much work that needs to be done before women are truly free. For example, every day we see and hear tragic stories of the murder, rape, assault and abuse of women and children. If we are going to have justice and equality in our society, this must stop!

By working together, we will eventually achieve the liberation of all women in our country.