National Women's Day here in South Africa marks and celebrates a day of strength and resilience of women and their contribution to society and country.

The reason we celebrate Women's Day on the 9th of August each year is because it marks the anniversary of the great women's march of 1956, where women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against the carrying of pass books.

On 9 August 1956, about 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against legislation aimed at tightening the apartheid government's control over the movement of black women in urban areas.

The protest was supported by mothers, daughters, sisters and friends who decided enough was enough and came together to initiate change. Not only did they march, they remained standing outside the Union Buildings in silence for 30 minutes in a non-violent and very powerful display of unity.

National Women's Day forms part of South Africa's Women's Month which provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the generations of women whose struggles laid the foundations for the progress made in empowering women and achieving gender equality to this day.

National Women's Day in South Africa draws attention to many of the important issues that women in Africa still face, issues like domestic violence, discrimination and harassment in the workplace, equal pay, education for girls and more. It’s a reminder for women, men and everyone that we are all equal and should be treated as such.

Fighting the good fight continues, not only for women, but for everyone - a fight for everyone to be equal.