By: Natasha Archary
Actress Mona Monyane wants to challenge the notion around celebrating the holiday when women’s issues are still being ignored.
As we approach another National Women’s Day on 9 August 2021, many South African women including Kaya 959’s Unathi feels there’s not much to celebrate.
In an interview with TshisaLive, Mona says “until women’s month becomes a conversation about how to protect the mothers, daughters and queens of the nation, it means nothing to me.”
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“I will no longer play along with this see no evil, speak no evil whatever NONSENSE. Chomi, I am a MOTHER. I Will do my part. Enough was enough LONG ago. Lesedi le kganye🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.” Mona wrote on her Instagram.
Earlier this week Midday Joy presenter, Unathi shared the ordeal she endured after a fender bender incident with a taxi driver who repeatedly put his hands on her.
“WHAT we deal with as South African WOMEN!!!!! He bumps my car, shouts at me to intimidate me. When that doesn’t work he repeatedly puts his hands on me. When that doesn’t work he flees. BUT the other men trying to diffuse the situation ALSO think it’s okay TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON ME. Happy Women’s Month ladies,” Unathi shared.
Her story is similar to other women who feel women’s month is nothing more than a calendar event.
This year I want the man-focused corporate women’s month campaigns to ask men to explain the ways in which they are barriers to entry and advancement for their women colleagues.
The heels have gotten boring. Let’s try different chaos.
— water master wabi (@NthabiWabi) August 3, 2021
During this August Women’s month a call out to business. Please relook or develop Gender Equality policies that will give women decision making positions. Let’s together work on reducing GBVF. A starting point is Gender Equality and the workplace. pic.twitter.com/2qUzcZG3BN
— Tiekie Barnard (@TiekieB) August 2, 2021
“We can’t just be given a month, but then the whole year gender-based violence and all of that is blatantly ignored.
What significance does Women’s Month have if leadership or formal structures don’t step up to give us safe houses for women who are abused or convictions against men who are abusive and rape?” – Mona Monyane
Mona also stated that she had to deactivate her Twitter and Facebook accounts because she was too traumatised by the high rates of the women and children who are abused or go missing daily.
