De Bruyn honours fallen struggle stalwarts of 1956 Women’s March

It was a pivotal moment in 1956 when more than two thousand women of all races staged an anti-pass demonstration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

The historic march marked a turning point in the women’s struggle to affirm their rights during Apartheid rule.

As the nation commemorates 30 years of democracy, our producer Tshepo Ikaneng looks at some of the challenges afflicting women and girl children.

Sophie De Bruyn was just 18 years old when she participated in the historic 1956 South African Women’s March to the Union Buildings, led by the likes of Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Albertina Sisulu, among others.

Now the last surviving leader of the women’s march, De Bruyn paid homage to those fallen stalwarts of the struggle who strived to improve the lot of women in this country.

“We gather here to pay homage and draw inspiration to the values that they stood for. As much as we have handed the baton to the young generation, I’m pleased to know and observe that they are running with the banner of that baton for the young people’s future,” said De Bruyn.

GBVF

30 years after the end of apartheid and the ushering in of a new democratic dispensation, women are faced with challenges such as Gender-Based Violence and femicide (GBVF).

According to official statistics, one in five women in relationships experiences physical violence by a partner. Through the National Council on GBVF Bill, the government has formally introduced new laws to protect women and children from abuse and violence.

However, one of the gender rights activists, Mandisa Khanyile argues that the introduction of a new law should be accompanied by more government interventions to provide resources to reinforce the fight against the GBVF scourge.

“Absolutely resourcing the response to gender-based violence and femicide, making sure that you have nurses based at Thuthuzela centres and provide adequate psychosocial support for GBV victims and perpetrators. That will be the key thing to fight the scourge.”

As women continue to bear the brunt of heading families and raising children, there have also been calls for the protection of girl children. Human Settlements Minister Mamoloko Kubayi says much more needs to be done to protect girl children to insulate them from socio-economic challenges such as a lack of access to education and limited opportunities for leadership roles.

Kubayi says, “There is a huge gap between the support that the boy child gets and the girl child. Many fall into the trap of teenage pregnancy. My call is to say, Let’s protect a girl child not to be raped to drop out of school and become caregivers. But support them to be able to get an education because it enabled me on my career path and politically. According to the World Food Programme, women play an integral role in global food production. However, they experience more difficulties than men in gaining access to land and finance.”

It’s against this background that businesswoman Gabsie Mathenjwa established a food, meat, and poultry production farm to empower women and youth through the application of modern agricultural technologies.

For her, this model of precision agriculture will allow women in mostly rural areas to use technology to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and optimise crop yields.

“On food security, what’s important is that this is not about wanting to supply retailers but also putting food on the table. When you have a garden, then you have a constant food supply.

“I would recommend that only women who are unemployed or women who are not skilled, you still need to eat, and then why don’t you have your own garden, and that’s the challenge for all of us,” Mathenjwa explains.

Fondly known as Aunty Sophie, this anti-apartheid legend remains optimistic about the future of post-Apartheid South Africa.

“We live now in the form of a more complex society than we did 50 years ago, but let us never forget the voice of the people,” urges De Bruyn.

The infographic below showcases the progress and identifies areas that still require change.

Design by Kamogelo Habanyane