How one woman's 1901 degree sparked a century of South African activism

Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke walked into Wilberforce University in the United States and, on June 20, 1901, became the first Black woman to earn a university degree in Southern Africa. She was also the only woman present when the South African Native National Congress, later the African National Congress, was founded in 1912. Her story anchors a longer history: the struggle for South African democracy has never been separable from the fight for women’s rights.

That history has been carried by named, specific women. Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie Williams-de Bruyn and Rahima Moosa resisted a system that imposed both racial and gender discrimination. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Albertina Sisulu shaped the broader freedom movement across decades of hardship. Their collective courage reached a peak on August 9, 1956, when more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings to protest the extension of pass laws to women under apartheid. This year marks 70 years since that demonstration. It remains a defining moment in South African public life.

The transition to democracy opened formal doors. Women now hold senior positions in Parliament, the judiciary, the public sector and the corporate world. Valdene Reddy recently became Group CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the first woman of colour to hold that role. She succeeded Dr Leila Fourie, who became the first woman to lead the exchange when appointed in 2019. Women lead banks and serve as CEOs of mining companies across the country.

Progress, though, is uneven. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni acknowledged in an interview with SAnews that women’s representation in Parliament, after reaching 50 percent, has recently declined. “We regret that representation has declined, and we are challenging political parties to make sure that their representation in Parliament includes women and ensures equal representation,” she said.

The Constitution embedded protections for women’s rights from the start. Government has since implemented employment equity measures, entrepreneurship funding, education support and equality laws designed to advance women’s economic participation across racial lines. “Employment equity and empowerment targets recognise women across races, because even women of other races, including white women, were oppressed simply by being women,” Ntshavheni told SAnews.

Meanwhile, data from the Commission for Employment Equity’s 26th Annual Report, covering the 2025/26 reporting period, shows that the two upper decision-making levels, top management and senior management, remain both racialised and gendered. White and Indian population groups, as well as males, dominate those tiers. Male representation at the top management level exceeds female representation by more than two times. “We need to start seeing more women, and more Black women in particular, rising in significant numbers,” Ntshavheni said. “We are seeing, at the lower levels, that Black people and women are coming through, but we want to see that progress also in the higher, senior, and middle strata of the private sector.”

The Minister’s call extends in two directions: to women already in leadership, and to young women still building their paths. “We were also mentored by others, and it is our job to mentor others. We also call on other women in positions of power to contribute to mentoring young women. The first issue is that young women must prioritise their education. There are support mechanisms available to help ensure that we succeed in our educational endeavours. From there, nothing can stop you. It takes hard work, and there will be challenges, but hard work, determination, and calling out for support will get you there,” she said.

The year 2026 concentrates several anniversaries at once: 30 years since the Constitution’s adoption, 50 years since the 1976 youth uprisings, 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March, and 60 years since forced removals from District Six. Each milestone marks a layer of the longer struggle that made women’s advancement possible.

Against that backdrop, the Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute, in partnership with The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa and participating diplomatic missions, recently held the inaugural International Portraits of Power exhibition, celebrating women whose courage and leadership have shaped nations. The event forms part of a series of legacy projects marking the 155th anniversary of Mannya-Maxeke’s birth. Ntshavheni framed the role of art directly: “Art has a unique ability to preserve our history, to tell stories that might otherwise be forgotten, and to connect people across cultures and continents. Through exhibitions such as this, we are reminded that art is not only a reflection of society, but also a catalyst for change.”

Whether that catalyst translates into measurable gains at the top of the private sector, where the numbers still lag, is the question the next set of employment equity reports will have to answer. More information is available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/women-remain-forefront-shaping-democracy-and-advancing-empowerment.