National Women's Day, 9 August 2001 Wathint 'abafazi! Wathint'imbokotho!

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Women must unite to face new challenges

It is now 45 years since more than 20 000 South African women, led by the heroines of our liberation struggle such as the late Cdes Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Dora Tamana, marched to Pretoria against the extension of pass laws to African women.

This action took place against the backdrop of the massive and successful Defiance Campaign aimed at dislodging apartheid rule on one part and laying the necessary foundations for a change in power and economic relations.

Today as we proudly celebrate the 45th anniversary of this historic march and the national holiday declared by our new dispensation, we need to assess the evolution of our struggles towards the emancipation of women.

How far have we developed a gendered understanding of our own situation and created a working class led national women’s movement?

The period since the democratic breakthrough has been eventful both for the nation and women specifically. The rise of women at various levels of governance and at organisational level signalled a significant change in the societal power relations and a gradual move away from the trappings imposed by patriarchy and capitalism.

We need to use this day to evaluate the progress we have made towards the goals we have set ourselves, taking account of the impact of challenges imposed by globalisation and its neo liberal ideological underpinnings.

National Women's Day in 2001, just as in 1956, takes place against a backdrop of many challenges, most notably the assault on the role of the state through the accelerated privatisation of state assets. The effect has been the marginalisation of the poor, as the basic services they desperately need have become commodified, to be run to make a profit.

This has also eroded hard-won victories on the shop floor, as public institutions and major companies have opted for outsourcing and privatisation of certain functions. This has resulted in the disruption of bargaining arrangements and the displacement of workers from formal forms of employment such as unemployment benefit, as a direct result of the retrenchments and underemployment that has become worse as employers seek to maximise their profits.

COSATU says enough is enough and launched our campaign against privatisation.

Therefore COSATU has committed itself to use National Women’s Day for two important reasons:

• To build on the foundations laid by our heroines of 1956 by ensuring that the visions, principles and goals they espoused and cherished are fully realised;

• The maximum mobilisation of all our people in defence of the gains made in the course of our struggle. This includes our campaigns against privatisation, HIV/AIDS, job losses, racism, poverty, and unemployment.

This day still brings us together to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of women in the liberation struggle and the transformation of our society and to remember and honour the 20,000 women who took action to protest against the extension of pass laws to include black women in 1955. It marked a time of great social turbulence and crisis, from which we have inherited a tradition of protest and political activism by women who are mostly affected by the impact of discrimination and resistance towards change.

We will relentlessly campaign against:

• Marginalisation of women in the workplace and society in general;

• Globalisation, with its neo liberal underpinnings which pose a major threat and intensified exploitation;

• Poverty that wears a feminist face;

• Sexual harassment and violence against women and children;

• Trafficking of women and children for domestic work and prostitution;

• Ongoing wars;

• HIV/AIDS, hits women especially hard;

• Appalling conditions of health and safety at work.

COSATU is therefore committed to:

• Organising the most vulnerable sectors of society - predominantly women workers - taking into account their specific conditions of work;

• Strengthening a working-class led National Women’s Movement that will involve all those who believe that as a nation we will not be free as long as women are not emancipated;

• Ensuring that the gender policies enshrined in our Gender Policy are implemented effectively by our affiliates and regions;

• Working towards a shared vision and common understanding of gender struggles and strategies;

• Translating the vision and principles underpinning it to concrete action to accelerate transformation process.

This day still brings us together to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of women in the liberation struggle and the transformation of our society and to remember and honour the 20,000 women who took action to protest against the extension of pass laws to include black women in 1955. It marked a time of great social turbulence and crisis, from which we have inherited a tradition of protest and political activism by women who are mostly affected by the impact of discrimination and resistance towards change.

To COSATU women we say:

• Participate and demand to be heard!

• Volunteer for self-empowerment and mentoring!

• Lobby vigorously for other women!

To COSATU male comrades we say:

• Become proponents of gender equity!

• Give power and solidarity to women through mentoring!

• Lobby and advocate for women leadership!

Amandla Ngawethu!

Women unite for a working class led women’s movement!

Wathint ‘abafazi! Wathint’imbokotho!

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