🇿🇦 South Africa
National Women's Day is a South African public holiday marking August 9, 1956, when about 20,000 women of all races marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest laws forcing Black South Africans to carry internal passbooks. First observed as a public holiday in 1995, the day now honors women's role in the struggle against apartheid and continuing efforts for equality.
South Africans mark National Women's Day with civic ceremonies, government events, and public discussions focused on gender equality. Many organizations use the day to raise awareness of issues such as domestic violence, workplace harassment, unequal pay, and access to education for girls. Government offices, schools, and many businesses close for the public holiday. Because August 9 falls on a Sunday in 2026, the holiday is observed on Monday, August 10, giving most workers an extra day off alongside the awareness campaigns and commemorative events held throughout the country.
The holiday commemorates the 1956 Women's March, when about 20,000 women of every background walked to the Union Buildings to challenge pass laws requiring Black South Africans to carry identity documents controlling where they could live and work. Led by activists including Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams, the marchers stood in silence before singing a protest song whose refrain — 'you strike a woman, you strike a rock' — became a lasting symbol of women's resistance under apartheid. The holiday was formally established in 1995 to honor that legacy and recognize women's role in South Africa's liberation struggle.
Protesters left about 14,000 signed petitions at the office of the prime minister as part of the demonstration, symbolizing the scale of organized resistance to the pass laws.
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