What would your placard read if you took part in the 1956 Women’s March?
Review took to the streets of Polokwane to speak to women and find out what they would have written on their individual placards if they were at the 1956 Women’s March.
POLOKWANE – A day which serves to commemorate as well as celebrate the role women played to fight for freedom and liberation, Women’s Day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The march took place to petition against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a pass.
Review took to the streets of Polokwane to speak to women and find out what they would have written on their individual placards if they were at the 1956 Women’s March.
Makoma Mahlangu’s would placard would read: “We are all equal, we are all human!”.Mapula Makgoba said that she would write, “Womandla!” because the word is a symbol of unity and strength of women who are fighting for good health and prosperity among each other.Montle Papo’s placard would read: “No! to segregation!’’.Hlogi Gwangwa’s placard would read: “We are one!”Sagwati Shilubane’s placard would read: “Stop racism! We are all equal above the law!”Lehlogonolo Manyama’s placard would read: “Enough is enough, stop racism!” Palesa Makgato’s placard would read: “No to apartheid, no to racism, enough is enough!”Kamogelo Molepo’s placard would read: “Skin colour doesn’t define humanity!”
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
