Women of Wonder: The original Women’s March remembered

This women’s month, we are shining the spotlight on just a few of the many South African women who are stars in their field of work and areas of influence.

These are the women who inspire the upcoming generations while doing what they love.

Throughout the month of August, we will feature one woman a day in our Women of Wonder collection.

Through Women of Wonder, we are honouring the original South African Women’s Day, August 9 1956 – when Lilian Ngoyi, Rahima Moosa, Helen Joseph, Bertha Gxowa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn led 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The march was to protest against the requirement for women to carry pass books as part of the pass laws.

We are also honouring women who are no longer with us, but whose legacy lives on.

We can’t possibly mention every woman whose mark is still felt, even after their death, but to mention a few are political heavyweights like Winnie Mandela, Adelaide Tambo, Albertina Sisulu and Helen Suzman, businesswomen Thandi Ndlovu and Carol Boyes, as well as entertainers like Esme Matshikiza, Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, and the latest star to fall, Mary Twala.

Help us honour all the powerful women who have made a difference by nominating your own Woman of Wonder in the comments section of our Facebook post.