#Womandla: four times women took to the streets for a great cause

Over 60 years ago on this day, five brave ladies led 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in protest against the pass laws that were coming into play during the apartheid era.

According to SA History, after their memorandum was handed over to Prime Minister at the time, J.G Strijdom women sang a freedom song in celebration with the words: Wathint` abafazi, Strijdom!

Since that time, the phrase 'wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo'  has come to represent the courage and strength of South African women, with women continuing to demand their voices be heard by marching against injustice.

Here are three other times women marched against injustice 

1. #TotalShutdown against gender violence

On the first day of what is touted as Women's month, August, South African women came out in numbers, wearing red and black to protest against the country's shame, femicide. Fed up, the scores of protesters waited for hours in the dark and cold until President Cyril Ramaphosa came to receive their memorandum in person. It is now time for men to do the same.

2. Protest by WOW (Women of Waqf)

In June this year a group of muslim women protested against inequality at a mosque regarding praying space. According to an article in TimesLive, video footage of a man trying to stop the women from listening to the recitation of the Quran while at the mosque sparked outrage hence the small protest during the month of Ramadan. 

3. Power to the Polls protest in America

Women across all States marched on the anniversary of Donald Trump's inauguration.  It was a bid to generate more female candidates and protest against the US president's policies. According to news agency Al Jazeera this movement was hailed as a new era in female political activism. The event turned into a global affair says The Independent as rallies in the US coincided with protests in Africa, Asia and Europe.