Every year in August, South Africans pause to honour the women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956. More than 20,000 women, led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, stood together in protest against unjust pass laws. Their actions became one of the most powerful demonstrations of collective courage in our country’s history.
The iconic words that emerged from that movement continue to resonate today:
“Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo.”
“You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”
Now while these words are often associated with resilience and resistance, I have found myself reflecting on another question this Women’s Month:
What would have financial empowerment meant to the women of 1956, and what does it mean for women today?
More Than a March
The women who marched on Pretoria were not simply resisting legislation. They were standing up for dignity, opportunity, and the ability to shape their own futures. They understood that when people lack a voice, they often lose control over important decisions that affect their lives.
Seventy years later, the challenges may look different, but the pursuit of empowerment continues.
Today, one of the most powerful forms of empowerment is financial independence. In many ways, it is the golden thread that connects the conversations, ideas, and lessons we share through The Planning Table.
The ability to make informed financial decisions, build wealth, provide for a family, save for the future, and retire with dignity creates choices. And choices create freedom.
The Finance Gap We Don’t Talk About Enough
Women continue to face unique financial challenges throughout their lives.
Career breaks to care for children or family members, longer life expectancies, income disparities, and the realities of single parent households can all have a significant impact on long term financial outcomes.
The result is that many women need their retirement savings to last longer while often having had fewer years of uninterrupted earnings to build those savings.
This makes financial planning not just important, but essential.
The Power of Choice
The ability to make choices is also another powerful form of empowerment.
The choice to pursue opportunities.
The choice to start a business.
The choice to support family members without compromising your own future.
The choice to leave difficult circumstances.
The choice to retire with dignity.
Every carefully considered financial plan or decision expands the range of choices available to us in the future.
It gives us the confidence and ability to shape our own future.
And perhaps that is one of the most enduring lessons from the women of 1956: true empowerment begins when people are equipped to make informed decisions about their own lives.
Because when women have choices, families benefit, communities grow stronger, and future generations inherit greater opportunities.
The Women Who Continue to Move Us Forward
As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is worth remembering that the legacy of 1956 was never intended to be confined to history books.
The courage demonstrated by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn lives on in every woman leading a business, managing a household budget, making investment decisions, building a career, or creating opportunities for future generations.
Their message remains relevant because empowerment is not only political or social. It is also economic.
A Final Thought
This Women’s Month, perhaps the most meaningful way to honour the women of 1956 is not only to remember their courage, but to build on it.
Whether you are taking the first step towards financial planning, teaching financial principles to your children, starting an investment portfolio, or preparing for retirement, every informed decision contributes to a stronger future.
Because when women are empowered financially, families are strengthened, communities benefit, and generations are uplifted.
And perhaps that is the modern expression of a timeless truth:
Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo.
Now read: When women rise, society rises with them.