You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

To the pillar of mankind, the peacemakers, humanitarians and all round ladies of this world…

 

Long gone are the days whereby women were confounded to the norms of the male chauvinists. Being bounded to the stereotype that their place was in the kitchen, running the household, and basically being a fertility case, meant to breed babies and have no hopes of ever going beyond that, and claiming their independence.

The 20 000 woman, of all races, that all marched along to the union buildings in 1956 were not only protesting the Pass Law, but an attempt to prove that they weren’t going to be silenced by unjust laws and intimidated by society’s norms of how they should act and live their lives.

We are now in the 21^st century, oppression gone, equality set into place between the races but what about Gender equality? Woman are still being discriminated against, classed as being lower than man, and mostly incapable of fulfilling tasks that aren’t household related. The 21^st century woman is more than capable of making it to university and qualifying for a degree. However society never gives them half a mind, always ready to judge and discredits them. Now that the dark days are gone, women are more empowered to choose their destinies and claim independence.

Women aren’t asking to be spoon fed, but rather to be recognized for their abilities and capability of excelling in their given professions. It all starts internally, woman need to empower themselves, be ready to embrace the new revolution, and stand firm, like the women who marched in 1956, show no intimidation and take a stand against society.

Always remember, “wathint'abafazi wathint'imbokodo” (you strike a woman, you strike a rock)

Happy Woman’s month to all the ladies out there of all ages, races, generations! You surely do make a difference in this world. It’s time to make a stand once again, and united to fight society and its norms!

BY: Siyamthanda Mhlangabezo