Seventy years ago, more than 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 1956 in a defining act of courage. This Women’s Month, South Africa is celebrating how far their legacy has carried the country, from the Constitution’s recognition of women’s rights to boardrooms, benches and ballot papers led by women.
The 1956 march was led by women such as Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie Williams-de Bruyn and Rahima Moosa, whose extraordinary courage, resilience and unity blazed a trail in a society where women faced both racial and gender discrimination. Others, including Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Albertina Sisulu, played pivotal roles in the broader struggle for freedom and equality.
From protest to leadership
Seven decades on, the gains are visible across public life: greater representation of women in Parliament, the judiciary, the public sector and the corporate sector, with women now occupying top leadership positions.
One of the most striking recent milestones came from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, which appointed Valdene Reddy as Group CEO, the first woman of colour to hold the position. She succeeds Dr Leila Fourie, who in 2019 became the first woman to lead the exchange.
“We have women running banks in the country; women taking positions of leadership as CEOs of mining companies, and that is what freedom and the struggle of the women of the 1950s have brought us,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said in an interview with SAnews.
Ntshavheni noted that women’s representation in Parliament has reached as high as 50%, and said government is challenging political parties to keep striving for equal representation. Government has also put in place employment equity measures, funding for entrepreneurship, and education and equality laws to support women’s economic empowerment across the board.
A year of powerful anniversaries
The 70th anniversary of the Women’s March arrives in a year rich with historic milestones. In 2026, South Africa also marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution, the 50th anniversary of the 1976 youth uprisings and the 60th anniversary of the forced removals from District Six, moments that together tell the story of the country’s long walk to democracy.
Each one, lift one
Looking ahead, the Minister encouraged women in leadership to actively mentor and support the next generation. “We were also mentored by others, and it is our job to mentor others,” she said, calling on women in positions of power to open doors for young women rising behind them.
Seventy years after the march, the women of 1956 would recognise the spirit of the country they helped to build: determined, hopeful, and still moving forward, together.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Leave a Reply