By Mbali Tanana
Women’s Day has become a date women have now used to attend glitzy functions, dress up, attend high teas in picturesque settings, and take lots of photographs. That is not entirely a bad thing. Not if at the centre of it all we are remembering the women who have allowed us to have a seat at the tables we were not always allowed at. The women of 1956, who led the march on the Union Buildings to stop the extension of the dompas for women under the JG Strijdom regime, did not allow the racial divide of the time to come between them, but joined forces and walked hand in hand in unison as women, challenging a law that was one the foundations of apartheid.
We remember Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, Lilian Ngoyi, Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph who led the more than 20 000 women despite all the oppression and push back, who did the unforeseen and took a stand to echo the voices of so many South African women. And they were heard. National Women’s Day is indeed a time to remember these women’s contributions.
So yes, celebrate we will! In remembrance of that momentous day, Grocott’s Mail is inviting women from all walks of life to join us at our inaugural Women’s Month Luncheon taking place on 30 August. Come and take a seat at our table and mingle with other women from different sectors and industries and pursuits, as we celebrate the milestones we have achieved and reflect on the road we have travelled since the eventful march 69 years ago.
It’s also an opportunity to think about our responsibility towards future women and to share and develop strategies for dealing with obstacles against full gender equality which we still face
We invite the Makhanda community, businesses, corporates, government departments and organisations to join us and buy a 10-seater table for the phenomenal women in their establishments to add their voices to a day of good food, great networking and lively entertainment.
For more information and queries on how to buy your table please email us at grocottscommunity@ru.ac.za
