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As we celebrate the 56th
Anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Building. I can’t help but think of what could have
been going through their minds when they were preparing for that historical
day. I have no doubt in my mind that
these heroines work up at dawn, most probably some of them did not even fall
asleep the night before anticipating what might unfold during that day.
The anxiety and yet the fearlessness and courage
they displayed remains unmatched. The women
from most parts of South African were tired of carrying passes, it is said they shouted and chanted the names
of their oppressors. The women were
tired of being treated like children and second class citizens in the land of
their birth. I can imagine the pain and insults that might have been hurled at
them, those who spit and called them names in the land of their foremothers and
forefathers.
These women were fighting for the future of
their grandchildren. They knew very well
that total emancipation would take time, sacrifice and loss of lives. Those
brave women were fighting for my grandchildren too, they were fighting for an
environment where my grandchildren can realize their true potential and have
equal opportunities to prosper and lead the nation to great heights.
Many would have though that these women were
wasting their time and that they had too much time at their disposal. I, a lady that was born six years later on
the very same day, testify that their fight was not invein, indeed their
contribution has paved the way for full emancipation of women in South Africa
and the rest of the continent. I know
there is still much to be done however I do believe that they have been some
meaningful strides that have been reached in the quest for full emancipation of
women. #smed12
