08 August 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo Women’s League Statement
Tomorrow We Will Celebrate Women’s Day
Tomorrow we celebrate Women’s Day, which is held on the anniversary of the women’s march in 1956 when 20 000 women marched against the pass laws. The march was also about the wider issues of patriarchy, racism and classism. The women who led the march were Hellen Joseph, Lilian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu and Sophia Williams De Bruyn and we honour them each year. We also remember and honour the women who were at the forefront of the riots in Cato Manor in 1959, including Dorothy Nyembe and Florence Mkhize. Women living in shacks played a major role in the struggle against apartheid and continue to play a major role in today’s struggles.
Tomorrow we will honour the women who have given their lives in our struggle.
Nqobile Nzuza was shot from behind by the police in Cato Manor during a protest on 30 September 2013. After a long struggle a police officer was later convicted for this murder.
Thuli Ndlovu was assassinated in her home in KwaNdengezi on 29 September 2014. After another long struggle two ANC councillors and their assassin were convicted for this murder.
Zamekile Shangase was shot dead by the police in Asiyindawo, Lamontville, on 29 July 2021 during a ‘show your receipt’ raid. There has been impunity for this murder.
Nokuthula Mabaso was assassinated in the eKhenana Commune on 5 May 2022. Samson and Mhlanganyelwa Ngubane, both powerful people in the local ANC with connections to the taxi mafia, were arrested and charged with murder but the charges were provisionally withdraw after the autopsy results were ‘lost’.
We will continue to demand justice for Zamekile and Nokuthula.
Nokuthula once said that “we didn’t choose this life, but landlessness made us live like this”. The price for land and dignity cannot be continued to be paid in blood.
The spirits of Nqobile, Thuli, Zamkile and Nokuthula live in us and we honour their lives.
We cannot continue to accept evictions, social abandonment and impoverishment. We cannot continue to accept the violence that is all around us. We need to build a peaceful society in which there is full equality between men and women, a society in which land, wealth and power are shared. We need to build socialism from below. To get there we need to build women’s power by organising ourselves from below. We need to support each, to encourage a family feeling in our branches, as we face impoverishment, state violence and violence in society, landlessness and the epidemic of substance abuse that affects many of our children.
We will be holding two events for women’s day. In Durban there will be an event at the YMCA hall in Durban, starting at 9 am on 9 August. We will be joined by women from other progressive organisations and will discuss all the issues facing us as women. There will also be a workshop in Mpumalanga on 13 August discussing women’s right and the role of women in the struggle, in our communities and in our homes. It will be held at the Amersfoot community hall at 9:00
Now is the time to say Enough is Enough! Now is the time to honour the fallen! Now is the time to build women’s power from below and in struggle!
Zandile Nsibande 073 611 8279
Snenhlanhla Mcanyana 073 832 3331
Thabisa Maphela 069 572 1094