South African Women's Day celebrated
By Jane White
PERTH — Working together, with much laughter and harmony, the ANC Support Group and Campaign Against Racial Exploitation (WACARE) women's day committee welcomed over 120 comrades and friends to Fremantle Education Centre to celebrate South African Women's Day on August 9.
Volunteers provided an excellent breakfast and the program included a speech of support from Diana Warnock, state MP for Perth, as well as singing and dancing.
A dramatic re-enactment of the historic moment in 1956 when over 20,000 women marched on Pretoria against the pass laws was performed. Finding no one at home in the government offices they made their silent, clenched fist salute on the steps of the headquarters of the South African regime. "When you strike the women, you have struck a rock", was the chant on that historic day, and this held true as the regime was forced to abandon its attempt to corral the women into bearing the hated passes.