South Africa’s women’s Day
On August 09 in 1956 about 20 000 women of all races gathered and marched to the Union buildings in Pretoria, South Africa – in protest of the so-called Pass Laws.
The 20 000 women left petitions containing more than 100,000 signatures at Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom’s office door. They stood silently outside his door for 30 minutes. The women then sang and chanted a protest song and slogan: Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo! (You strike a woman, you strike struck a rock).
While the cruel apartheid system was against black Africans, the women who marched on 09 August 1956 were from all racial groups. Since then, South African women commemorate women’s day on 09 August Annually.
The South African High Commission was honoured to have Canada’s First Lady Madam Sophie Grégoire Trudeau as the guest of honour
