Emancipation of women is an everyday affair and not just a one-month "tamasha" in August every year

By Marimuthu Subramoney
(Aka Subry Subry Govender)

As the country celebrates Women's Month (the official Women's Day was observed on Tuesday, August 9), it's important to reiterate why the new non-racial democratic government decided in 1995 to set aside August 9 as an official public holiday.
It was 55 years ago on August 9, 1956 when more than 20 000 women of all racial groups staged a march to the former Union Buildings (now the new government's and presidential centre) to present a petition against their oppression and subjugation, especially the carrying of passes by women, to the Prime Minister at that time, Mr J G Strijdom.
The march was organised by the Federation of South African Women and led by women struggle leaders of that era - Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie Williams and Radima Moosa. The women challenged the idea that "a woman's place is in the kitchen" and declared instead that their place was "everywhere".
The "white" Prime Minister, Mr Strijdom, was not at his office to accept the petition but their action sent a clear message that they would not be intimidated and silenced by unjust laws. After the petition was handed over to the secretary of Mr Strijdom, the women sang freedom songs and shouted the slogan: "Strijdom, wathint abafazi, wathint imbokodo", which translated means: "Strijdom, you strike a woman, you strike a rock".
Prior to the 1956 women leaders, one of the women who embodied this struggle was Ms Charlotte Maxeke, who went to study science in the United States in 1896. Upon attaining her degree, she returned to be involved in a number of development initiatives aimed at empowering women. She organised and led the Bantu Women’s League, which was a forerunner of the ANC Women's League.
After the 1956 march, the next generation of women leaders continued to use the "Strijdom, wathint abafazi, wathint imbokodo" phrase to highlight their struggles against discrimination, marginalisation, oppression and subjugation. There were literally thousands of women who joined the struggles in a number of battles against the former apartheid regime and when the ANC and other organisations were banned in 1960, many of these women leaders continued the struggles inside the country.
While many of the women remained "unsung heroines" of the struggles, some of the women leaders who took the centre stage were the Ms Dorothy Nymbe(late), Mrs Albertina Sisulu(late), Mrs Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Professor Fatima Meer(late), Mrs Helen Suzman, (late), Ms Ela Gandhi, and a number of women who were associated with the Black Sash all-women pressure group. All of these women were banned, house-arrested, detained, denied passports and sacrificed almost everything for the liberation of women and the country from the oppression of the former white minority regime.
Today, 55 years after the famous Women's March in Pretoria and 17 years after the advent of our new democracy in 1994, the women, despite the many challenges, are making their mark and in many instances, even overshadowing the menfolk. But at the same time millions of women still have to face challenges such as customary oppression at the hands of their husbands and menfolk in general, social inequalities, continued discrmination, rape and sexual harrassment at the work place and being abandoned by men who father their children.
It's hoped that the celebration of "Women's Month" will lead to the highlighting of the challenges women still have to face in their everyday lives even in the new non-racial and democratic South Africa today. The struggle for women's emnacipation should not just be a one month "tamasha" during August every year but an every day affair throughout the year.
We have to remember what former president, Nelson Mandela, said when he addressed the first democratically-elected parliament on May 24 1994 about the rights of women:
"Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression."