I WAS ONE YEAR OLD when more than 20,000 South African women and girls from all walks of life marched against apartheid in 1956 – and we continue to march, all over the world, in our struggle against injustice and in the search for dignity and equality.



In 2015, for example, I joined thousands of black women in Brazil – from ministers and public officials to domestic workers and coconut breakers – marching to draw attention to the double discrimination faced by women of African descent on account of their gender and the color of their skin, and to call for an end to gender-based violence.



Around the world today, we are seeing the power that marches of solidarity have to counter silence, to demand change and to hold our leaders accountable to their promises. In 2017, vibrant women’s marches sprang up in hundreds of cities around the world. Two year later, we saw climate justice marches led by inspiring young activists in Europe and beyond. 



Each of these actions remind us all that this is a time for women and girls to band together and to act, together with allies of all genders, on the issues that will determine a lived equality for all. That is why we march. And most importantly, why we must continue to grow and scale these movements for gender equality, human rights and sustainable development together.



But while South Africa has evolved to turn the page on its apartheid past and made huge steps forward in achieving racial liberation, the demands made as part of the Women’s March still resonate for many across the world. Women continue to face inequality of opportunity in employment, and the gender gap in achieving equal pay for equal work remains a yawning one. The needs for paid parental leave and quality childcare for working mothers are acute and are seen as critical inhibitors of women rising to positions of leadership. 



Of great concern to all of us is the economic violence of job loss that has accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic, with women accounting for two-thirds of the nearly three million jobs lost globally. And the continuing ‘shadow pandemic’ of men’s domestic and other violence against women and girls. As for the women of 1956, we have an immense task ahead of us to unify our efforts to overcome the exploitation of women and to cohere behind a clear message of equality, inclusion, and advancement.



The emancipation and elevation of women is a fundamental necessity for the sustainable growth and development of societies. In 2021, we observed the 150th anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke, a leader, scholar and artist. We have taken bold and decisive steps to accelerate progress with a positive, historic shift in power and perspective. On July 2, we closed our landmark Generation Equality Forum in Paris, with the commitment of nearly $40 billion in confirmed investments to drive a gender-responsive stimulus and recovery plan for the next five years. 



These will ensure that women and girls are not left behind as the world builds forward from Covid-19. This is critical to our recovery from the pandemic, as women have suffered gender-based violence, lost their jobs and carried the burden of unpaid care.



For far too long, a lack of financing has impeded steady progress in advancing gender equality. We have addressed that deficiency as we reposition gender equality as a long-term priority issue, everywhere. Across sectors, from technology to violence and economic and climate justice, we have designed strategies incorporating the most critical actions required to accelerate and achieve gender equality, with multi-stakeholder, multilateral partnerships leading the drive for change.



The nearly 50,000 people of all generations and from all parts of society who joined the Generation Equality Forum jumped together to shake the world of patriarchy. We stand not on the shoulders of the women who demanded equality 65 years ago in South Africa, but arm in arm. What was born then will be taken forward further.



And together, in solidarity, we will say it again: Wathint’abafazi, wathint’imbokodo! You strike a woman, you strike a rock!



BY PHUMZILE MLAMBO-NGCUKA



The writer is the UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women. From 2005 to 2008, she served as deputy president of South Africa.

womensdaysouthafrica

65 Years Of The Women’s March In South Africa: What Still Needs To Change

August 9 marks 65 years of the Women’s March in South Africa. The fire and fortitude of the women and girls who walked up the steps of the Union Buildings that day changed the landscape of South Africa. how far have we come – or not – since? We ask these female change-makers about the issues and battles they are championing in the South Africa of today.&nbsp;



SIXTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, ON August 9, 20,000 women and girls of all races, classes, color and creed marched, singing and chanting, some with babies on their backs, and climbed up the steps of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of the apartheid government in South Africa’s capital city, to deliver petitions to the then Prime Minister J.G Strijdom, against the introduction of apartheid pass laws.



In the throes of apartheid in 1952, the South African government introduced the Native Laws Amendment Act. It was an offence for any African to be in any urban area for more than 72 hours unless they were in possession of a pass that had details of the holder’s identity, employment, place of legal residence, payment of taxes and permission to be in the urban areas. For the first time in South African history, black women were expected to carry passes too.



The march was led by four women; legendary struggle stalwarts Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn and Rahima Moosa.



“Wathint’Abafazi wathint’ imbokodo”, cried the gathering. “Strijdom, you have tampered with the women, you have struck a rock!”



By the clock tower of the Union Buildings, hordes of women wrapped in ANC colors of green, yellow and black began arriving, with women from the cities, the towns and villages, united in their purpose to save each other from the degradation of passes.



With bated breath and in deafening silence, they watched Ngoyi, Moosa, Joseph and Williams-De Bruyn deposit 100,000 petitions addressed to Strijdom. The march signaled a paradigm shift as women were brought to the fore playing a bigger role in the struggle for freedom and democracy.



In the pages that follow, we look at how a small cross-section of women leaders today interpret the changes they are seeing and the causes they are currently fighting for in South Africa.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52091" width="605" height="402" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-176729601-2048x1363.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Ginko Agency/ www.21Icons.com via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">The glory of how they looked, and their dignity and grace, and that determination in lifting their feet in a place where no other African person had done before… – Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, the only surviving member of the famous quartet – including Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa – that led the 1956 Women’s March, in an interview in the August/September 2014 issue of FORBES WOMAN AFRICA</blockquote>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52089" width="645" height="429" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-893823216-2048x1363.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 645px) 100vw, 645px" /><figcaption> (Photo credit should read MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><meta charset="utf-8">We hope this generation we leave behind will do the right thing by honoring all those who gave up their lives…particularly the women who are not always remembered. I wouldn’t have been me had I not met the Lilian Ngoyis of the day. – Winnie Mandela, in an interview in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of FORBES WOMAN AFRICA</blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kgomotso-mokoenafighting-for-vulnerable-laborers">KGOMOTSO MOKOENA Fighting for vulnerable laborers</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52084" width="162" height="243" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-1-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 162px) 100vw, 162px" /></figure></div>



Kgomotso Mokoena is a labor law lecturer and attorney also focused on constitutional, media and intellectual property laws, with a particular interest in the gig economy. Born to parents in exile in Atlanta, United States, she returned to South Africa with her family and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand before working as a legal clerk at the Constitutional Court and opening her own practice. Now working towards a PhD in labor law at the University of the Western Cape, she says: “Because there are so few jobs, a lot of workers end up getting exploited in relation to the gig economy.”



Currently, the major legislation that regulates their rights falls under the Labour Relations Act and Basic Conditions of Employment Act in South Africa – frameworks that Mokoena says have not been updated to reflect the technological innovations changing the dynamics between workers and employers. Mokoena’s research is focused on bridging this gap – what are the lived conditions of vulnerable workers in the gig economy, what are the levels of unfairness? 



“And how do we fix that from a legislative perspective?” she says. “Personally, my passion is in labor law – specifically with a focus on vulnerable workers. Statistically, women tend to fall into insecure work more than men in South Africa.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">STACEY FRU Fighting for literacy and safety</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52085" width="273" height="409" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-2-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 273px) 100vw, 273px" /></figure></div>



“You cannot learn in an environment where you do not feel safe and secure. Literacy and safety need one another to survive and thrive,” says Stacey Fru on the challenges facing schoolchildren in South Africa today. 



The 14-year-old is a multiple award-winning author, philanthropist, activist and motivational speaker. Having been recognized for her literary work, entrepreneurship and shortlisted for the 2020 International Children’s Peace Prize, some of her most personal and valuable work is through her Stacey Fru Foundation, a charity which aims to improve access to education in rural areas with the provision of food, sanitary materials and books.



Fru’s career began with the writing and publishing of her first book when she was eight years old. Since then, she has published four more, while also campaigning strongly for children’s rights through her ambassadorship with Save The Children. 



However, in her daily life, she faces the same challenges as many of her peers during the Covid-19 pandemic.



“Many of us are unable to go to school. Most of us are just trying our best right now, to attend online classes or just focus for a prolonged period of time.”



Fru has continued to write and collaborate during the pandemic and through the recent unrest in South Africa.



“With the rioting, the Covid third-wave, everything around us is disrupting our daily lives as children. Just hold on, speak to your friends and family; you are never alone in the struggle.”



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">DORAH MAREMA Fighting for climate change</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52086" width="526" height="351" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px" /></figure></div>



“The fact is that climate change does not affect people the same. This is true for the developed versus the developing world, and also true for gender – with women being the majority in mineral areas and subsistence farming as well.”



Dorah Marema has had an illustrious career in gender and environmental activism. Originally from a rural village outside Mopane in Limpopo, South Africa, she began her working life as part of the Transvaal Rural Action Committee, a Black Sash initiative. Her upbringing brought home first-hand experience of the gender disparities in the environmental protection space, and led her to form GenderCC, an international organization working to ensure that gender is fully integrated in climate policy.



She currently works for the South African Local Government Association as the portfolio head for municipal sustainability, a role ever more demanding due to the pandemic and recent unrest.



“And unfortunately,the environment is the one element that gets badly affected because it doesn&#8217;t generate revenue for municipalities, however, is something that is so critical.” Marema’s tireless role does not get her down. Despite the pandemic and the global climate crisis, an optimistic outlook and everyone doing their part mitigate more harm than people think.



“You may think it&#8217;s a small action, but if I do something in your neighborhood, in your city, in your municipality, you start doing something; all that action will add on to a bigger contribution towards already cutting down carbon emissions, and focusing on mitigation, and making sure that we&#8217;re planting trees, that we are taking care of our biodiversity… We can do it, but it has to be done through a multilateral initiative that involves all of the world together.”



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">PEARL PILLAY Fighting for youth empowerment</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52087" width="494" height="329" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Forbes-Women-Feature-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px" /></figure></div>



“I think when you&#8217;re in student activism, you kind of have your fingers in all of the different pies. I had a really good grounding from there, but also at home,” says Pearl Pillay, director of YouthLab, a policy think tank that aims to create spaces for young South Africans to engage on policy issues affecting them. Having begun as a research intern, Pillay has worked her way to lead the organization, and has been involved in election observation in Liberia and Tunisia, as well as policy work for the African Union – expertise she brings to the South African context.



Closest to her heart are issues closer home. Facing the challenges of the pandemic, YouthLab made a decision to launch programs aimed at supporting democratic development, and building capacity and education in communities for them to exercise democratic rights.



“We go into different communities and take time to teach young people about what it means to be an active citizen, what different democratic tools they have.”



Despite the challenges of the last year and the unique difficulties the pandemic presented, Pillay is optimistic, with YouthLab driving mental health programs to support employed and unemployed youth. “We don&#8217;t often think about wellbeing as development, so prioritizing wellbeing has allowed many to rise to the challenges of Covid. Being able to actually provide something that helps the young, that&#8217;s been a big standout for me.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-707x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52090" width="357" height="517" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-707x1024.jpg 707w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-207x300.jpg 207w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-768x1112.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-1061x1536.jpg 1061w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-1414x2048.jpg 1414w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-453831587-scaled.jpg 1768w" sizes="(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Danny Martindale/WireImage)</figcaption></figure></div>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Transformation isn’t an event, it is a process, and these processes have to start with ourselves&#8230; It starts with you, it starts with the way that you actualize yourself, the way that you see yourself, the way you interact with society, how you see yourself within the home, because you very so often find that one has a loud voice when it comes to gender activism, but within the home front, you don’t stand up for yourself. The liberation has to be a mental emancipation first&#8230; It’s not only just the mindset, but we also have to give women the necessary tools to make sure that they progress.– Zindzi Mandela, in an interview for the December 2014/ January 2015 issue of FORBES WOMAN AFRICA</blockquote>

Ramaphosa addresses Womens Day celebrations in South Africa

The 1956 Women’s March In South Africa Still Resonates Today

August marks Women’s Day in South Africa, a day
commemorating the efforts of more than 20,000 women of all races, who marched
to the highest political office in the land, on the morning of August 9 in
1956, to raise awareness around women’s rights and present a petition against
the carrying of passes by women, to the then prime minister.



More than six decades on, the call for the equitable
treatment and acknowledgement of women’s rights remains a battle for a global
community of women – for recognition and also for fair and equitable economic
opportunities.



Think back to the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup, where champions, USA, returned home with the trophy but also a very small paycheck for their efforts. During their return tour, their victory was overshadowed by calls from supporters to ensure authorities offer them salaries equal to their male counterparts. 



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="No Longer In The Wilderness (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2019/08/09/no-longer-in-the-wilderness/" target="_blank">No Longer In The Wilderness</a>



Whilst efforts have been made in this regard, the
discrepancies in pay between men’s and women’s football, much like many other
sectors, remain too large to ignore.



FIFA, the world governing body of football, doubled the
total prize money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup from $15 million to $30
million but it is still a fraction of the $400 million received by players in
the men’s tournament last year.



The disparity across sub-Saharan Africa is even more glaring. Despite a great showing from teams represented by Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon, the reality for many local players is that there are no local leagues. As such, players are expected to train and perform at a professional level while still managing a separate full-time job to pay their bills and make ends meet.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">On closer inspection of recent data, one is hit with the enormity of the task at hand. The Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum in December 2018, revealed that at the current rate of change, it will take about 108 years to close the overall gender gap and 202 years to bring about parity in the workplace. </blockquote>



This is a long time to wait for parity of any sort – what
more for the sports field, the political sphere and new digital industries that
are likely to emerge?



As women, we certainly can’t sit by the wayside in hopes of
being rescued from this dilemma. 



I believe that our focus and rhetoric need to be adapted and
realigned. I believe it goes beyond just empowering females, but unlocking
economic opportunities for all through the advancement of women.



It’s well documented that female-headed households lead to
the advancement of all and everyone wins. 



Beyond this, the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup reminded me that while the battle for gender equality remains a major challenge, the real issue is around equal and fair recognition – on the soccer field, in the boardroom and in places of political leadership.



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2019/03/11/the-businesses-of-the-future-20-new-wealth-creators-on-the-african-continent/" target="_blank">Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent</a>



As a society, we should be empowering, supporting and
rewarding those who go above and beyond to achieve levels of excellence in
their respective sectors.



“We should all be feminists,” a popular quote by Nigerian
novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a lot of truth to it, in driving the
awareness and active citizenry for change.



I believe we should take this a step further and we should
all be activists who reward excellence, regardless of race or gender. 



Let’s reward excellence! And the economic benefits will
naturally follow – for all. 



– Gugulethu Mfuphi is an award-winning radio broadcaster, financial journalist, conference moderator and CNBC Africa alumni. She was recently named one of South Africa’s 200 young leaders in media by Mail &amp; Guardian.

gettyimages-463406923-170667a

Not Just Equality, But Recognition Of Excellence

At least 110 women are raped in South Africa. Every day.
There are many similar statistics, all pointing to the same stupefying fact – that South Africa is one of the most dangerous places for girls and women.
This writer too is a survivor of an episode of violence, which – ironically – happened the evening before the country celebrated Women’s Day (August 9) in 2014.
In South Africa, a strong patriarchal mind-set, coupled with the intersection of race, gender, class and other identities, influence gender-based violence. There is also a gross underreporting of such crimes.
In the following pages, two educated young women recount how they didn’t let their own experience of violence get them down.
Samantha Smit* (name changed to protect identity) and Bukelwa Moerane reside 40 kilometers from each other, one in the affluent area of Roodepoort, and the other in Diepsloot, a township in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Their paths have never crossed, but destiny served them the same experience from hell – and they survived it.
<h2>Samantha Smit, 28</h2>
In 2013, three days after South Africa celebrated Women’s Day, Smit was drugged and raped by three male friends she had known for seven years. 
When we meet her on a warm Thursday evening in January, the neighborhood is quiet, and her home warm and secure with high security fences. Wearing an oversized t-shirt and jeans, she leads us to the pool area her father helps set up for us. 
Underneath Smit’s warm exterior is the aching heart of a woman still trying to comprehend a disturbing episode in her past. 
“When you read statistics about women who experience violence, whether it’s sexual violence, domestic abuse or interpersonal violence, I would think I was lucky to not have experienced anything before I was 18 years old. And [this state of the country] is a sad reality,” says Smit. 
What was an ordinary night out with friends ended up being her worst nightmare. 
“They asked us to come through to their flat which was nothing strange, because we have all been friends for a long time. We trusted them, we knew them and often went to each other’s houses.” 
They offered her a drink, which she didn’t know was spiked with Liquid E, a date rape drug. 
Fifteen minutes later, she felt dizzy. 
The next thing, they were stripping her in the kitchen and dragging her into the bedroom. 
“The more I put my clothes back on, the more they were taken off. They found it amusing,” she recalls. 
Smit was powerless at the time. 
“It was like a ragdoll effect. I knew it was happening, I didn’t black out, I didn’t lose consciousness. But I wasn’t able to do anything about it. I felt like I was looking into the situation. The next morning, I had a cup of coffee and left,” she tells us. 
She was in denial and did not want the stigma attached to being a victim. 
“I think a part of me knew all along, but did not want to accept it. I also felt like maybe if we don’t give it a name it won’t have the impact… Because at least you still have a little bit of power and it is not completely stripped from you,” she says. 
Her life was never to be the same again. 
“Suddenly I couldn’t stand people touching me. It would suddenly repulse me. I was startled incredibly easily,” she says. 
She suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and checked into a clinic five months after the incident. 
“It’s a difficult thing to admit to yourself… I realized I was spiralling out of control.” 
But she soon reclaimed her power by writing a letter to the three men and confronting them individually. 
Though the scar will never completely heal, counselling, and opening up to other women, has helped. 
“Every woman I opened up to had a similar story to share. That helped me a lot in breaking down the stigma.”
<h2>Bukelwa Moerane, 25</h2>
Moerane has been more vocal about her “near-death experience”. She lost her teeth trying to escape from her abductor in February last year. 
She was on her way home in a taxi one night from Maponya Mall in the township of Soweto. As she stepped out at the Bara taxi rank in Soweto, it was near empty; then out of the blue, a man driving a navy Polo came up from behind and shoved her into his vehicle. 
“What was going through my mind was ‘I don’t know if this guy has a gun behind me or a knife’. He said to me, ‘don’t do anything stupid, you will get hurt’. Instantly, as he said that, my mind stopped working,” shares Moerane. 
The abductor drove off with her, holding on tightly to her wrist. 
“He was swearing at me, and saying ‘I will rape you, I will kill you, don’t even try anything funny’!” 
Moerane started saying her last prayers thinking of her mother and four-year-old daughter. Then, she noticed the door was unlocked. 
“My heart started to beat faster. I started thinking ‘I need to get out, I need to get out, there is something I need to do’,” she says. 
The kidnapper headed down a dark road she knew. 
“I knew if he did something to me in that area, no one was going to find me. I know there are most [probably] thousands of bodies in that area not checked for. I was not going to be one of them,” says Moerane. 
She pretended to be relaxed. 
“I then looked at him, and noticed he was scared as well. His voice was shaking. I think he had gone through something and felt the need to revenge on me.” 
She was no longer frightened. 
“So if this person is scared, why should I be scared? I told myself to calm down and I started calming down, because he was holding on to my right hand at the time,” says Moerane. 
She somehow mustered the courage to jump out of the moving vehicle kicking the door until it opened. 
“He was slapping me and was trying to hold my hand. With the other hand, he was trying to drive and there was oncoming traffic.” 
Her biggest fear was for the kidnapper to grab a weapon and kill her, so she leapt out. She lost two of her front teeth, and was bruised and injured. 
“I could see my skin peeling off, and dark particles. My glasses fell off. While this car was dragging me, I don’t know for how long, I landed with my hands trying to protect my face, but I guess I was too late,” she says. 
Bleeding, she got back up and ran for her life. She tried to stop moving cars, pleading for help, but none did. At the nearest garage, she was taken to Baragwanath Hospital. 
Moerane still fears traveling by herself, but finds solace speaking out. 
She was a participant at the #NotInMyName march last year to the Union Buildings in South Africa’s capital Pretoria sparked by the death of Karabo Mokoena, the young woman allegedly stabbed 27 times by her ex-boyfriend. 
Moerane also took to Twitter to speak out against gender-based violence in the country. She posted images of her after the kidnapping and sought crowdfunding to fix her smile. 
That’s when celebrity dentist Alexander Faizi Rawhani, known as Dr Smile, helped put the smile back on her face. 
“I believe God kept me safe that time and he [the abductor] could do it again. But one thing I know is if he comes back, we go out together. I don’t go out alone. We die together this time,” says Moerane.
Physical violence against women 
• 21% of women over the age of 18 reported they had experienced violence at the hands of a partner. That’s one in five women. 
• Divorced or separated women are more likely to experience physical abuse. 
• The Eastern Cape has the highest rate of physical abuse (a whopping 32% women reporting it).
Sexual violence against women 
• 6% of women over the age of 18 reported they have experienced sexual violence. 
• 16% of divorced or separated women experienced sexual violence by a partner. 
• 10% of women living with a partner reported sexual violence against them. 
• The North West Province reported the highest rate of sexual violence (with 11.8% of women reporting). 
[Source: South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2016]

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