THIS past week, on the 9th of August, our nation paused to reflect on the annual celebration of Women’s Day. Women’s Day 2023 was marked by the national address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, fittingly addressed from the Union Buildings, the site of the historical women’s March on the 9th of August, 67 years ago, writes Tswelopele Makoe
Although international women’s day is celebrated annually on the 8th of March, our national Women’s Day – celebrated annually on the 9th of August – was originated, and inspired by over 20 000 women from all the corners of our society, who took part in the mass march against the brutish apartheid pass laws in 1956, notably fighting the extension of pass laws to women.
Organised by the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) as part of the anti-pass campaign, the women’s March was the mobilisation of thousands of women of all races and ages, from far and near cities, towns and villages, some with babies on their backs, and many facing threats and intimidation, presenting a petition to the apartheid-era Prime Minister JG Strijdom, demanding that the pass laws be abolished.
FEDSAW as an organisation was distinguished for its consistent defiance of the common view that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen”. They argued that “a woman’s place is everywhere!”
The theme of this year’s entire women’s month of August is: “Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Improved Resilience.” This theme addresses the equality, access, and justice of women in our modern-day South African context.
This has been a heightened theme in SA’s public discourse arena, particularly since the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the spine-chilling upslope in the prevalence of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in our nation.
The spotlighting of GBVF in our society was particularly incumbent for the youth of SA, whom have been highlighting these dangerously overlooked social challenges for years beforehand. Asithandile Zozo (Wits), Uyinene Mrwetyana (UCT), Rachel Tshabalala (Wits), Zolile Khumalo (Mangosuthu University of Technology), Nosicelo Mtembeni (UFH), Takalani Mbulungeni (UV) are amongst thousands of GBVF victims in the recent years.
What is truly horrific about the prevalence of these cases, is that they were largely occurring amongst the youth demographic, of which had been highly vocal about violence against women in SA.
The striking truth is that GBVF as a national problem is not being grappled with effectively enough, particularly by our law enforcement agencies and national leadership.
GBVF cannot continue to be viewed as an isolated issue. It is, in fact, a socio-economic issue in SA, one that is rooted in the mind-set and behaviours of our society, particularly where women are concerned.
Our patriarchal, racist and classist society was imposed by the murderous colonial regimes of the past, but worryingly little has been overturned by our “supposedly liberal” democratic government.
In SA, women constitute 51.3% of the total population. Within the first three months of 2023, over 10 000 rapes were reported, and more than 900 women were brutally murdered.
The rate of unemployment and poverty in our nation is staggering. Our citizens, both young and old, are not effectively protected against the violence that occur in our society.
The national unemployment rate sat at 33% in the first quarter of 2023, amongst the highest in the entire world. In May of 2023, Statistics South Africa reported that 4.9 million citizens, within the youth demographic alone, were unemployed.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey further reported that black African women were most particularly affected, with an unemployment rate of a staggering 39.9%.
With the theme of women’s month placing emphasis on gender equality, we need to look at the ways in which our modern society uplifts, and oppresses women, in many different ways.
A mere 21.8% of females in SA have a driver’s license, compared to 40.1% of males. Approximately 40.1% of South Africans live below the poverty line.
Furthermore, 49.9% of female-led households are more likely to face poverty, compared to 33% of male-led households. As if that were not enough, 39,2% of female-headed households do not have an employed household member.
Women earn over 10-40% less than their male counterparts in the same job designation. A report by the World Economic Forum stated that South African men earn approximately R6 600 more than women on a monthly basis. In sub-Saharan Africa, over 190 million women do not use or have access to mobile internet services.
All of these challenges are dire, leaving a devastating impact on the health, income, and lived realities of countless women. These are amongst numerous other challenges faced by women in our modern-day society.
What is particularly infuriating about these statistics is that they can be effectively addressed, but have been shrugged off by our Patriarchal, and seemingly indifferent national leadership.
Women have proven themselves for decades, yet they are still not adequately protected by the systems and functions of their society.
The violence and adversities faced by women have been a prevalent feature of our leadership’s mandate, yet extraordinarily little implementation actually takes place. Instead, the challenges that are faced by over half of the nation’s population have been remanded to the civil society sectors.
Although equal pay, poverty, systemic exclusion, and violence against women are prevalent features of our society, women have been notably and effectively competing alongside their male counterparts.
Women are reportedly doing better than men at universities. 185 of 400 (46%) of the seats in the National Assembly (Parliament) are held by women.
More than 60% of the national government workforce is comprised of women. The representation of women in senior roles in higher education has immensely improved.
Banyana Banyana, the national women’s soccer team, has made history as the first senior South African football team to qualify for the knockout round of a FIFA World Cup.
Our own Olympic gold medallist and national treasure, Caster Semenya, the founder of a black-owned publishing house Blackbird Books, Thabiso Mahlape, visual activist, and filmmaker Zanele Muholi, Lindiwe Mazibuko, the fourth youngest member of parliament in history, are amongst a plethora of women who have helped to break the glass ceiling and contravening the societal limits of their “supposed” success.
In addition to this, the World Economic Forum has highlighted that alongside Namibia, Rwanda and 13 other countries, SA has closed more than 70% of its overall gender gap.
Furthermore, it is also among the top three countries that reported the largest improvements in its overall score. Although countries like Namibia and Rwanda now repeatedly rank higher than South Africa, we need to be cognisant of the fact that women are fighting against the injustices they face, rather than passively surrendering to them.
As we dive deeper into our annual women’s month, I implore all of the members of our society to take active measures in tackling the multitudinous societal challenges that are faced by women.
It is the prolific Archbishop Desmond Tutu who stood steadfast in the belief that: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” I therefore implore the males in our society to speak out against the biases and restrictions that are imposed on women.
I implore them to consider their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, and future daughters, during this month of August. They deserve a safe, equitable, and just society. They deserve the chance to flourish to new heights, both creatively and professionally.
They deserve to have their voices heard, and to have their challenges effectively addressed. We know from history that fighting injustice is a unified project and requires the efforts and commitment of every sector of our society.
This month is not merely for gifts and pampering, but for serious introspection. We need to consider the role of women in shaping the society we want to actualise. We need to keep the memory of the women of 1956 at the forefront of our societal goals, and we need to ensure that we honour the sacrifices of the countless women in history, who chose to act, and enact the future that they wanted to see.
This month, we need to put forward a collective effort in making them proud. Most importantly we need to remember their focal principle: “Wa thinta abafazi, wa thinta imbokodo” (“you strike a woman, you strike a rock”).
Tswelopele Makoe is a Gender Activist and an MA Ethics student at UWC, affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice. The views expressed are her own.