Seventy years after South Africa’s women’s march, the struggle is not over

Johannesburg, South Africa – Seventy years ago, Sophie Williams-de Bruyn was 18 when she joined about 20,000 women marching to the Union Buildings, the seat of South Africa’s apartheid government, to protest against the extension of the pass laws to Black women.On August 9, 1956, the women gathered in Pretoria carrying a petition against laws that restricted the movement of Black South Africans. Williams-de Bruyn was among the leaders of the march, which became one of the defining moments of the country’s liberation struggle.On Sunday, at 88, she returned to the same grounds.The country around her had changed. Apartheid had ended, South Africa had become a democracy and women had moved into some of the country’s highest offices. Its constitution guarantees equality and protection from discrimination.But for many women, the freedoms won through that political transformation have not translated into security, economic opportunity or reliable public services.“How can we fully celebrate our past victories when our present reality is so deeply disappointing and distressful?” Williams-de Bruyn asked.Her question set a sombre tone for this year’s National Women’s Day commemorations, which...