Reflecting on the honouring of women during Women’s Month, Mpumalanga’s MEC for economic development and tourism, Jesta Sidell, called on women to claim their rightful place in society.

August, South Africa’s Women’s Month, celebrates the contributions of women and recognises the ongoing struggle for gender equality. It is also when the nation remembers the 20 000 women who, in 1956, marched to the Union Buildings to protest against Pass Laws.

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Quoting Nelson Mandela, Sidell said, “Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.” She also drew on the words of the late Burkina Faso president, Thomas Sankara: “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.”

These leaders understood that women are the bedrock of communities and society,” she said. “We pay tribute to heroines such as Charlotte Maxeke, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, Albertina Sisulu and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who challenged the status quo at a time when discriminatory laws and traditions defined the social and political landscape.”

Sidell recalled how the women of 1956 stood in silence for 30 minutes before singing the now-famous protest anthem: Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo! (You strike a woman, you strike a rock!).

However, she said, the vision of the forebears who wrote the Women’s Charter 74 years ago remains unfulfilled. “Women in South Africa still live in fear, bearing the brunt of poverty, economic exclusion and the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).”

While progressive legislation exists, GBVF remains entrenched in communities, compounded by the lack of women’s empowerment. “Women continue to carry a disproportionate burden of poverty, inequality and unemployment. The economy remains skewed and unreflective of the province’s demographics, leaving many women marginalised.”

Sidell stressed the government’s responsibility to create policies and strategies that open meaningful economic opportunities for women. “As we pay homage to women, we must also act – ensuring that through government stimulus packages, we bring women into the mainstream economy.”