Triumphant women mark Women’s Day

Some of the women who attended the high tea event.

To mark National Women’s Day, senior women from around Mfuleni were given the platform to share their stories of oppression, abuse – and survival.

They were hosted at the local library on Monday August 8, where they spoke about the experience of being black in Apartheid South Africa as well as the struggles they continue to face since democracy.

National Women’s Day, marked on August 9 every year, commemorates the day 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956, to protest the country’s pass laws.

At Monday’s event, the Mbokodos (Rocks), some of whom are of the same generation as those who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, enjoyed high tea and a screening of Poppie Nongena.

The movie is based on the book Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena by Elsa Joubert, which tells the story of a Xhosa woman’s struggle to take care of her family after her husband becomes too ill to work.

“They are a good example to us. They are a generation that had it bad. But as it is their month, we have decided to honour them in this way. We also wanted to show them that as this library we love them because we deal with information and they have that information in them,” said senior librarian Nolubabalo Memani

She also said they are inspiring a new generation to fight for their own rights and speak out whenever they feel hard done by.

“Today there are new challenges that are facing women. There’s rape, killings, unemployment and many other issues that women have to deal with. But these veterans can inspire the young generation. They have seen it all. That is why we honour them so that they can advise young women on how to stay strong. They could make a huge difference in young women’s lives,” she said.

After watching the film, they discussed how young women should engage with the challenges they face and reminded young women that they were the leaders of the future.

Mothers like Noma-China Wanga and Trudy Jacobs were on hand to give motivation to the young women and talk about the past. The two agreed that while women faced many struggles, they were able to overcome them.

Among the young people who attended was Mandisi Heshu who thanked the seniors for being the pillars of their homes. “We are proud of these women and grateful to have them. Women are pillars of homes. We are showing them the film so they can revisit the past and advise young people but mostly share the past,” he said.

Senior Librarian Nolubabalo Memani acknowledged that women carry a lot on their shoulders.
After the event there was some cake to be enjoyed.