VERY little is written about women, especially those who participated in the fight against apartheid.
These were the heart-wrenching comments made by Sophie de Bruyn, the last living leader of the 1956 Women's March to Pretoria.
De Bruyn was speaking at the grave sites of her fellow leaders, in memory of the giant steps they took to end the pass laws.
De Bruyn visited the graves of Lilian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph at Avalon Cemetery to lay wreaths and then proceeded to the graves of Rahima Moosa and Albertina Sisulu.
The event was organised by the Sophie and Henry de Bruyn Legacy Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.
At the grave sites, she recollected their journeys and how Moosa and Amina Cachalia had to go out to convince the Indian men to allow their wives to participate in the 20 000-strong women’s march in 1956.
According to De Bruyn, the men were afraid that their wives would be jailed, but Moosa and Cachalia assured them that it wouldn't happen.
“It pacified the Indian men who were worried about their wives. Very little about our struggle and views are written. A lot is missing about the lives of Charlotte Maxeke. A lot is written about our male political icons,” De Bruyn said.
She urged young women who were part of the event to start a collection of material about the role of women in the liberation struggle and to publish it.
According to her, the roles of Moosa and Sisulu in the Struggle was not properly told, unlike their male counterparts who are still featured in the dominant media.
She recounted how Moosa had to drop out of school and join the labour force. While there, according to De Bruyn, she fought for the improvement of the working conditions of women.
De Bruyn also said very little was written and known of Moosa's role in the Transvaal Indian Congress.
POLITICAL BUREAU