Introduction

The feminist movement has played a significant role in the liberation struggle and the fight for democracy during the apartheid regime in South Africa. Women have been at the forefront of the resistance against the regime’s racist and discriminatory policies and laws which oppressed the black population. The feminist movement organized marches and protests across the country in attempts to obtain equal rights for women and all other non-white South Africans in a period where it was outlawed to do so and the consequences were severe.  The courage women like Lilian Ngoyi displayed during the apartheid and colonial era is a testament of their resilience and fearlessness. 

Discrimination Against Women

Throughout the history of South Africa women have been subjected to unfair discrimination, inequality, and injustice which hindered their individual and collective prospects in realizing their full potential and becoming fully integrated members of society. Women were excluded in many aspects of life and social spaces and were not allowed to participate in economic and political activities that were regarded exclusively for men. Women were not allowed to obtain the same amount of education as men and, were required to drop out of school earlier than their male counterparts because their place was deemed to be in the kitchen. 

Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) 

A protest march was held by over 20,000 women on the 9th of August 1956 in Pretoria at the Union Buildings against passes for women.  The protest was organized by the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) which was formed two years prior in 1954 by its three founders, Lilian Ngoyi, Hilda Watts Bernstein, and Rachel Simons. The purpose of the federation was to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. The FEDSAW was a multi-racial women’s organization and lobby, which became the first of its kind due to the segregation laws that prohibited the interaction and cooperation of different races.  

FEDSAW in the Years That Followed

FEDSAW later went on to become part of the Congress Alliance, which was an anti-apartheid coalition initiated by the African National Congress (ANC). FEDSAW organized many other protests against the institutional Apartheid regime including the Anti-Pass Protest that was held between 1956-1958. During January – July 1956, 38 demonstrations were attended by approximately 50,000 members took place in response to the Native Laws Amendment Act 1952 and Natives Act, 1956 which forced Africans to carry past documents and subjected them to forced removals without appeals.   

Conclusion

The feminist movement was a catalyst in ushering South Africa into a new democracy fighting alongside many other political activists during the apartheid regime, while attempting to equal the Plainfield for women for who years were systematically excluded and suppressed in the labour sector. Heroic women such as Lilian Ngoyi, Winnie Mandela, and Lindiwe Sisulu played a pivotal role in organizing and mobilizing other women to stand up for their rights and make a change in the social, political, and economic landscape of South Africa.

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