12 August 2025
Women’s Month:
Honouring Women’s Leadership in the Fight for Health, Equality, and Justice this Women’s Month
By Mr Solly Nduku, National Chairperson – SANAC Civil Society Forum
August in South Africa is more than a month on the calendar, it is a living archive of bravery, vision, and sacrifice. It is a reminder that the freedoms we cherish and the rights we defend today were forged, in no small part, by the courage of women who stood firm against systems designed to break them.
In 1956, 20,000 women; mothers, workers, teachers, nurses, farmers, and community leaders, united across race, class, and geography, marched to the Union Buildings, their voices echoing with the cry: “Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo”—you strike a woman, you strike a rock. They did not just reject pass laws; they rejected a vision of South Africa that excluded their dignity, their rights, and their humanity.
Today, the struggle continues, though its forms have evolved. The fight against HIV, TB, STIs, gender-based violence, and social injustice remains one of the defining challenges of our generation, and women are still leading from the frontlines. The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Civil Society Forum, representing 18 diverse sectors, stands united with the Women’s Sector and all our partners to keep women’s rights, health, and dignity at the heart of South Africa’s national response.
The Reality We Face
While we have made important strides in expanding access to treatment, prevention, and support, the truth is stark, women particularly young women and adolescent girls, remain disproportionately affected by HIV and gender-based violence.
Statistics tell a sobering story:
- Every week in South Africa, over 1,000 young women aged 15–24 are newly infected with HIV.
- Gender based violence claims lives, destroys families, and undermines public health, with 1 in 3 women experiencing some form of violence in their lifetime.
- Poverty, unemployment, and harmful gender norms continue to deepen women’s vulnerability.
This is not a problem for women to solve alone it is a societal crisis that demands collective action. Ending these injustices is not only a moral duty; it is essential to the health and prosperity of our entire nation.
Women at the Heart of the Response
Across our country, in villages, townships, cities, and informal settlements, women are the backbone of community life. They are the caregivers ensuring that children, the elderly, and the sick are not left behind. They are activists challenging harmful traditions and speaking out against abuse. They are educators spreading knowledge about HIV prevention and treatment. They are organisers mobilising communities for better healthcare services.
Within SANAC CSF, the Women’s Sector is not simply a stakeholder it is a driving force shaping our policies, monitoring accountability, and ensuring that programmes respond to women’s lived realities. This means listening to the experiences of women from diverse walks of life and translating those voices into concrete action at national, provincial, and community levels.
Our Commitment as SANAC Civil Society Forum
This Women’s Month, we reaffirm our commitment to building a South Africa where women’s health, safety, and rights are non-negotiable. Our priorities include:
- Strengthening women-led and women-focused programmes in the HIV, TB, and STIs response, ensuring that women have the tools, resources, and leadership opportunities they need to drive change.
- Addressing gender-based violence as a public health emergency, recognising that no meaningful progress on health can be achieved without tackling the violence and trauma that undermine women’s well-being.
- Advocating for economic empowerment and social protection, because economic independence is a critical shield against vulnerability.
- Supporting intersectional approaches that address the needs of women from all backgrounds including LGBTQI+ women, women with disabilities, rural women, migrant women, and young women ensuring that no one is excluded from progress.
A Call to Action
Women’s Month must be more than a celebration of past victories it must be a moment of renewal, reflection, and accountability. We must ask ourselves: what will future generations say about the choices we made and the action we took today?
Every sector, every leader, every citizen has a role to play in dismantling barriers to women’s health, safety, and opportunity. We must invest in women not just because it is just, but because women’s empowerment is the key to ending HIV, TB, and inequality in our lifetime.
As we honour the courage of the women of 1956, let us inherit not just their memory but their mission. Let us confront the injustices of our time with the same defiance, unity, and vision. Let us build a South Africa where women are not merely surviving but thriving—healthy, empowered, and free to shape their own destinies.
Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo!