Women's March (South Africa)
| Women's March | |||
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| Date | 9 August 1956 | ||
| Location | Union Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa | ||
| Methods | Petitions | ||
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Women's March was a march that took place on 9 August 1956 in Pretoria, South Africa. The marchers' aims were to protest the introduction of the Apartheid pass laws for black women in 1952 and the presentation of a petition to the then Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom.
The organisation behind the march was Federation of South African Women, an anti-apartheid organisation for women of various groups including the ANC Women's League with the aim of strengthening female voice in the movement. They contributed to the Congress of the People in 1955, where the Freedom Charter was drawn up, by submitting a document called What Women Demand which addressed needs such as child care provisions, housing, education, equal pay, and equal rights with men in regard to property, marriage and guardianship of children. By 1956 their focus had shifted towards a protest concerning the introduction of passes for black women.
The march took place on 9 August 1956 with an estimated 20,000 women of all races descending on Pretoria. The day of the protest was called for on a Thursday, the traditional day when black domestic workers had their day off, with the aim of ensuring a larger gathering of women. As the women arrived by train and other means, they walked to the Union Buildings, the centre of the South African Government, in small groups of two's and three's as large groups were banned by the authorities and met at the building's gardens and amphitheatre. Leading the march were Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn.
A representatives of each race group in South Africa carried 14,000 petitions for presentation to the Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom. The Prime Minister was not available, being elsewhere so as not to accept the petition from a multicultural group of women, so in his place it was accepted by his Secretary.
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