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First Black woman to earn a Bachelor's degree.
Charlotte Maxeke, becomes the first South African Black woman to earn a Bachelor's degree. -
First Black professional nurse
Cecilia Makiwane becomes the first Black professional nurse in South Africa -
Resistance, encouraged by women
The first mass resistance campaign in our South Africa women encouraged miners in Newcastle to strike against starvation wages. -
Passes protest by women.
Black and Coloured women in the Free State protested against having to carry identity passes, which White women were not required to do. -
Bantu Women’s League
Charlotte Maxeke started the first formal women’s organisation (Bantu Women’s League) which was created to resist the pass laws. -
White women Right to Vote
White women (18+) were given the right to vote in 1930. -
African National Congress Women’s League
Maxeke also helped create the African National Congress Women’s League. -
First Election (white) women took part in
The first general election at which white women could vote was the 1933 election. -
Women could join the ANC
Women could join the ANC -
Beginning of Apartheid
The Afrikaner National Party rose to power with their policy of apartheid. They implemented the law that people of different races were forbidden from 'mixing' socially and were moved to separate living areas. -
ANC women's league
ANC Women’s League was formed with Ida Mtwana as its first president. -
Protest the Urban Areas Act of 1950
Women from all races came together to protest the Urban Areas Act of 1950. -
Women's Day
20 000 women to marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to present a petition against the carrying of passes by women.
This was the famous Women’s March celebrated as Women’s Day on 9 August each year. -
Protests in KZN
Dorothy Nyembe led a series of protests in 1959, that lasted four years, in KwaZulu-Natal. -
Rights of the Child
UN adopted the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child,
set of guidelines that recognises and enforced the protection of children and their rights.
South African children suffered under apartheid.
(Eg. detained without trial, tortured and assaulted) -
Women's roll in economy
Women received greater economic participation, almost 32 percent of women became active in the South African economy. -
Dorothy Nyembe arrest
Arrested for her leader ship in the protests and leading the movement. -
Soweto Youth Uprising
Afrikaans and English were made compulsory. 3000 and 10 000 students marched peacefully, and were met with heavily armed police who fired teargas and later live ammunition on demonstrating students. 176-700 people died. -
All women (and people of colour) right to vote
End of apartheid in 1994, all women were granted the right to vote. -
TRC
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established that focused on equalising opportunities and economic participation for women -
First Female Deputy President
President Thabo Mbeki appointed South Africa’s very first female deputy president, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
