PRETORIA – The last surviving leader of the historic 1956 Women's March has expressed disappointment in the quality of lives South African women continue to live.
Veteran anti-apartheid activist Sophie De Bruyn said women could not fully celebrate Women’s Day while their daily reality remains bleak.
De Bruyn was among the leaders of the historic 1956 Women’s March against apartheid pass laws.
Together with Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa, De Bruyn led over 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings. She was only 18 years old when they handed over the signatures of over 100,000 women who protested against pass laws.
De Bruyn said many challenges women faced then still affect women today.
Her comments come as South Africa marks the 70th anniversary of the landmark march.
“As I look at our beautiful country, my heart is heavy. The freedom we marched and for what we bled is in reality a painful paradox. How can we fully celebrate our past victories when our present reality is so deeply disappointing and distressed for?We fought to banish the past laws. Yet today our women are prisoners in their own homes. Gender-based violence continues to cast a dark cloud on our society.And every single day I weep for the girl child, the daughters, the mothers and grandmothers who are abused, violated and silenced."