Seventy years after South Africa’s women’s march, the struggle is not over
Seventy years after the historic 1956 women's march against apartheid, South African activist Sophie Williams-de Bruyn reflects on the progress and persistent challenges facing women in the country. While democracy has been achieved, many women continue to struggle with poverty, violence, and lack of economic opportunity.
Why it matters
It highlights the gap between political liberation and socio-economic reality for women in post-apartheid South Africa.
Women helped defeat apartheid’s pass laws, but many still face violence, poverty and unemployment.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Sophie Williams-de Bruyn, left, was one of the leaders of South Africa’s historic 1956 women’s march against apartheid pass laws [Courtesy of South Africa's Government Communication and Information System] By Qaanitah Hunter Published On 11 Aug 2026 11 Aug 2026 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.
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