South Africa: Women Want and Deserve More Than Empty Gestures and Platitudes This Women’s Day

In a country where – as was the case in 1956 – women still bear the brunt of spatial injustice, economic deprivation and social instability, we need to remember the unifying force of the women of 1956 who dared to rise above their circumstances.

Ahead of National Women’s Day, I was invited to a well-known national radio station on Wednesday, 7 August, to speak about the participation of women in the political arena and in the economy. The presenter noted that women were not engaging in the discussion, and often never do on radio talk shows.

It was just then when a woman finally called in and said: “We are tired. We are tired of having the same conversation. We are tired of having to fight for our place in the world. We are tired of talking about the same issues year in and year out.”

The fatigue is justified. The malaise is authentic. Almost 70 years after the seminal 1956 march, South African women still have to fight for material equity in the economy, for bona fide power in public leadership and for recognition of the leadership roles they already occupy in society.

In truth, while some are being pampered, others are the face of poverty, demonstrating the state of inequality that extends throughout society. Today whether you carry a pass or not, you…