National Women's Day (, ) is a South African

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

celebrated annually on 9 August. The day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20,000 women to the

Union Buildings The Union Buildings () form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjeskop at the northern end of Arcadia, close ...

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

to petition against the country's

pass laws In South Africa under apartheid, and South West Africa (now Namibia), pass laws served as an internal passport system designed to racially segregate the population, restrict movement of individuals, and allocate low-wage migrant labor. Also ...

that required South Africans defined as "black" under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a passbook, that served to maintain population segregation, control

urbanisation Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It can also ...

, and manage migrant labour during the apartheid era. The first National Women's Day was celebrated on 9 August 1995. In 2006, a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans.

1956 Women's March

On 9 August 1956, more than 20,000 South African women of all races staged a march on the Union Buildings in protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act of 1950, commonly referred to as the "pass laws". The march was led by

Lillian Ngoyi Lilian Masediba Matabane Ngoyi, "Ma Ngoyi", Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG (25 September 1911 – 13 March 1980) was a South African Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist. She was the first woman elected to the executive ...

Helen Joseph Helen Beatrice Joseph OMSG (''née'' Fennell) (8 April 1905 – 25 December 1992) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Born in Sussex, England, Helen graduated with a degree in English from the University of London in 1927 and then de ...

, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams. Other participants included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape Premier

Hazel Jenkins Hazel Gertrude Jenkins is a South African politician and former premier of the Northern Cape province. She served as premier from May 2009 until she officially stood down in April 2013, following a stroke. The motion to recognise her stepping do ...

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

(

Frances Baard District Municipality The Frances Baard District Municipality (; ), previously the Diamantveld District Municipality, is one of the 5 districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of the municipality is Kimberley. As of 2022, the majority of its 434, ...

) on National Women's Day 2009. The women left 14,000 petitions at the office doors of

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

J. G. Strijdom. The women stood silently for 30 minutes and then started singing a protest song that was composed in honour of the occasion: ''Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo!'' (''Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.''). In the years since, the phrase (or its latest incarnation: "you strike a woman, you strike a rock") has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa.

Significance

National Women's Day draws attention to significant issues African women still face, such as parenting,

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

, sexual harassment in the workplace, unequal pay, and schooling for all girls. It can be used as a day to fight for or protest these ideas. Due to this public holiday, there have been many significant advances. Before 1994, women had low representation in the Parliament, only at 2.7%. Women in the national assembly were at 27.7%. This number has nearly doubled, being at 48% representation throughout the country's government. National Women's Day is based around much of the same principles as

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

, and strives for much of the same freedoms and rights.

References

External links

National Women's Day
{{South Africa Holidays June observances Women's rights in South Africa Remembrance days Culture of South Africa Society of South Africa Public holidays in South Africa

1956 Women's March

Significance

See also

References

External links