It’s Women’s Month.
A time when we honour the women who have made a difference in our lives, and in our communities.
We should ideally be acknowledging these ladies all year round, but if you haven’t got around to showing your appreciation yet, now’s your chance.
Say it, show it with a special gesture, or a gift.
Don’t be that poephol who says: why don’t we have a men’s day?
It’s not even cute anymore.
Some ouens really have no idea what women have had to go through in this society - and still experience today.
It’s like those whiteys who balked at the #BlackLivesMatter movement and instead started an #AllLivesMatter campaign.
What do they know?
Women’s Month and Women’s Day are not just there to commemorate the march of 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest at apartheid’s pass laws.
It’s a protest: for gender equality; against unequal pay; against sexual discrimination and sexual harassment; and violence against women.
The scourge of rape, abuse and murder of women in this country is so overwhelming that it tends to be a dominant theme during this month.
The media will focus on shocking incidents of violent crime, and we will be reminded of the tragic stories of Anene Booysen, Reeva Steenkamp and Zarah Hector, among others.
And so we should. We must never forget them.
We also pay tribute to our late South African heroines, like Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Helen Suzman, Albertina Sisulu, Cissie Gool and Cheryl Carolus.
But during this month, we must also honour the living, and celebrate the positive contributions that our women are making in our communities.
In the past two weeks, the Daily Voice has told the stories of some of our wonder women.
Like single mom Baigum Abrahams, 23, of Strandfontein, who was named the toughest female firefighter in South Africa.
And child psychologist Aziza Nolan, who has turned her Parklands home into a “Peace Home” for abused kids.
Then there’s Thelma Rajah, 70, Gwen Essyen, 85, Ruwayda Veerasamy, 71, and Sharifa Shah, 71, from Gatesville, who received a bravery award after they caught a robber and taught him a good lesson.
All over the Cape, there are female community workers and activists making a difference and looking out for the most vulnerable among us.
You know the ones.
They’re in our neighbourhood watches, in our churches, they raise funds for those in need, they lead searches for missing children, and they’re voor innie koor, protesting outside court at child abuse cases.
These are the women we should be celebrating and honouring every day.
Not to mention the struggling mothers (especially the single ones) raising our children under very difficult circumstances.