South Africa is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March, a pivotal moment when approximately 20,000 women of all races marched on Pretoria to protest apartheid laws that restricted Black women's movement. The march was a significant act of defiance against white minority rule.

Despite this historical achievement, many women in South Africa assert that their struggle for true freedom is ongoing. They continue to face high rates of gender-based violence, pervasive poverty, and persistent inequality. A 2024 study supported by UN Women indicated that over one-third of South African women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

Ramnie Dinat, 84, who was a teenager during the 1956 march, recalled her role in organizing women alongside her anti-apartheid activist mother. Women of Black, Indian, and even white heritage participated in the march, a testament to its broad-based opposition to the regime.

"Black women were organizing, and Indian women couldn’t be silent," Dinat told The Associated Press, reflecting on the day that history would come to remember. "We were ordinary women who believed we could make a difference. We simply believed it was the right thing to do."

A Legacy of Resistance

The Women's Jail, a former apartheid prison located near the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, now serves as a museum and a symbol of South Africa's transition from oppression to democracy. Many leaders and participants of the 1956 march were imprisoned there, where racial segregation was enforced even within the prison walls.

Nolubabalo Memese, Visitors Services Manager at Constitution Hill, described the jail's brutal conditions, noting that Black women prisoners were denied basic dignities. Today, the museum honors not only prominent figures like Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Albertina Sisulu but also the countless ordinary women whose sacrifices are often overlooked.

"Our freedom is built on the shoulders of those kinds of women who were at this prison," Memese stated.

South African Paralympic wheelchair tennis champion Kgothatso Montjane, winner of the 2024 Wimbledon wheelchair doubles title, acknowledged the foundational role of the 1956 march. "The fight the women took on 70 years ago has paved the way for us," she said. Montjane, the first Black South African woman to compete in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, noted that while apartheid officially ended in 1994, allowing women greater freedom of movement and participation in society, gender-based violence now presents a different, significant barrier.

"There’s a different monster which precludes us from enjoying freedom of movement and economic participation. And that’s gender-based violence. That’s crime," Memese explained. "If you want to go jog at six o’clock and it’s a bit dark, you’d rather not."

The United Nations has characterized the country's high rates of violence against women and girls as a crisis and a "national wound."

Persistent Inequalities

Beyond violence, structural inequalities continue to affect South African women. Government data shows women are more likely to be unemployed, bear the burden of unpaid care work, and remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions. In sports, Montjane highlighted that financial obstacles continue to limit access to elite competition for many, particularly for women of color.

"The barriers I had to overcome... in a sport like tennis, it’s just a financial issue," Montjane said. "They don’t lie when they say tennis is a white sport, and you don’t really find people of color dominating in this sport."

Despite these challenges, Montjane believes the actions of the 1956 marchers fundamentally altered the course of history for her and subsequent generations. "The platform has been set," she affirmed.

Memese drew a parallel between the past and the present, noting that bricks from the demolished apartheid Women's Jail were used in the construction of the museum. "We are using the bricks of the past to build our future," she said. "Once we forget the past, it’s very easy for us to make the same mistakes."

Dinat emphasized the enduring lesson from the march: "Every generation has its own struggles, and every generation has to decide whether it will stand up for what is right."