Johnathan Paoli
The 2023 National Women’s Day Commemoration, organised by the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, has now been moved to Pretoria, Tshwane because of the ongoing taxi strike in Cape Town.
The initial plan was to have the event in Khayelitsha Cape Town but due to the violent taxi strike, the area has been deemed a high security risk hence the event was moved to Tshwane,
The decision to relocate the event to the Union Buildings South Lawn was taken after careful consideration of the prevailing circumstances and the need to ensure a secure and smooth commemoration, officials said in a statement.
The event will feature a symbolic walk from Sammy Marks to the Union Buildings, reenacting the historic 1956 Women’s March against apartheid pass laws, followed by a formal program that includes a keynote address by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The change in venue adds significance to the commemoration, as the Union Buildings hold historical importance in the fight for gender equality and human rights, offering attendees an opportunity to connect with the past and honor the contributions of women in South Africa.
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, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams. Other participants included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape Premier Hazel Jenkins in Kimberley (Frances Baard District Municipality) on National Women’s Day 2009.
The women left 14,000 petitions at the office doors of prime minister 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.
The theme for the day will be “Accelerating Socio-Economic Opportunities for The Empowerment of Women”, stressing the central role that the promotion of gender equality plays in government policy combating poverty and stimulating sustainable development and the responsibility that all sectors of society hold to make the country’s progressive policies a lived reality that translates into tangible benefits for the lives of millions of women.
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