August 9th, National Women’s Day, is a day of celebration of women in
our country. It is a day when we all celebrate what women are doing in
their jobs and in our trade unions, in politics, in the media, in our
education and religious institutions, in our homes and in our
communities.
It is also a day of solidarity between women–solidarity in the continued
struggle for total emancipation from economic and social subordination,
a day when women unite to protest against the continued triple
exploitation of the majority of women – as members of the working class,
in the work place, and at home.
It is a moment when the women of South Africa look back and draw
inspiration from the 20,000 women who marched bravely on the Union
Buildings in 1956, and who pronounced “Wathint Abafazi, wathint
mbokodo” – Strike a woman and you have struck a rock. While we
honour the leaders of this historic act of rebellion, we must also
remember that the majority of those who courageously marched were
considered ‘ordinary women’ and we must also remember them.
Thanks in no small part to the courage and determination of the women
of 1956 and beyond, our democratically elected government has
repealed old laws that discriminated against women, especially black
women, embedded gender equality into our constitution and passed new
laws to promote gender equity in employment, and human rights for
women in the community and the family.
We will continue to struggle for a non-sexist society that will ensure that
women and children are safe from all forms of abuse and violence. In
this regard, we will intensify our work in fighting against violence directed
to women and to this end we shall engage in the following actions:
Raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights
issue at the local, national and international level
Strengthening our work against violence on women.
Establishing a clear link between local organisations and international
work to end violence against women.
Providing a forum in which organisations can develop and share new
and effective strategies.
Let us celebrate Women’s Day with great pride and joy. Let’s us renew
our commitment to gender equality and build a prosperous and peaceful
nation free from all forms of discrimination and poverty.
Wathint’Abafazi
Wathint’imbkodo
Issued by :
Office of the Provincial Secretary
Cde Lulama Ngcukayitobi
Enquiries:
ANC Media & Liaison Officer
Judy Mpetsheni
Mobile No: 0636878267/0731176194
Email : judy.ngoloyi@gmail.com
ANC Communications Manager
Gift Ngqondi
Mobile No:0848439706/0849519924
