By Sello Hatang:
I dedicate this reflection to every woman who continues to march, whether on the streets, in boardrooms, classrooms, villages, farms, hospitals, places of worship or homes. Some march with banners in their hands. Others march with babies on their backs, books under their arms, dreams in their hearts and hope in their footsteps. Every act of courage, every refusal to surrender, every life transformed is part of a march that did not end seventy years ago.
As we mark the 70th anniversary of the historic Women’s March of 9 August 1956, we are reminded that a march is not merely measured by the distance walked, but by the justice pursued. More than 20,000 women of every race stood shoulder to shoulder at the Union Buildings, united in one voice against the pass laws. They marched against oppression, but they were also marching towards something far greater: dignity, equality, freedom and the belief that future generations deserved a better country than the one they had inherited.
Their courage teaches us that history is not only changed by those who hold power. It is often changed by ordinary people who refuse to surrender their humanity. Those women carried no weapons. They carried conviction. They understood that the greatest revolutions begin when people decide that enough is enough and that silence can no longer be an option.
The words “Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo” have echoed across generations because they capture more than resilience. They speak to the extraordinary strength of women who continue to hold families together, build communities, lead institutions, innovate in business, cultivate the land, educate children and comfort those who have lost hope. They remind us that societies rise or fall on how they value, protect and empower their women.
Yet anniversaries should never become comfortable celebrations. They should become mirrors. Seventy years later, we must ask ourselves difficult questions. Have we built the South Africa those women imagined? Have we created a society where every girl can dream without fear? Have we ensured that women are safe in their homes, respected in their workplaces, fairly represented in leadership and rewarded equally for their contribution? Have we truly honoured their sacrifice, or have we become satisfied with remembering their march while neglecting their mission?
Too many women continue to experience violence, discrimination, economic exclusion and the burden of carrying families through impossible circumstances. Too many young girls still have their dreams interrupted by poverty, abuse or a lack of opportunity. Every statistic tells a story. Every story calls us to action.
The march therefore continues.
It continues every time a young girl is encouraged to study science, engineering or technology. It continues every time a woman entrepreneur receives an opportunity to grow her business. It continues when fathers raise sons who understand that strength is measured by respect, not domination. It continues when communities refuse to normalise gender-based violence and choose instead to protect the dignity of every woman and child. It continues whenever we replace indifference with action and sympathy with solidarity.
I have often believed that the measure of a nation is not found in the speeches of its leaders but in the opportunities available to its daughters. A country that limits the dreams of its women ultimately limits its own future. Conversely, a nation that invests in women invests in stronger families, stronger economies, stronger institutions and a stronger democracy.
One of the greatest lessons from 1956 is that progress is never the work of individuals alone. It is the product of people who recognise that their destinies are intertwined. The women who marched knew that freedom shared is stronger than freedom enjoyed alone. They marched not only for themselves but for children they would never meet and generations they would never know.
May we become worthy companions of those courageous women. May we refuse complacency when justice still calls. May we build workplaces where talent matters more than prejudice. May we raise children who see equality not as an aspiration but as a way of life. May we leave behind a South Africa where every woman is safe, every girl is valued and every dream is given room to flourish.
History remembers those who marched in 1956. The future will remember what we did with the freedom they helped secure.
The march continues. The responsibility continues. The hope continues.
Join the movement.
#ReHataMmoho
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