The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA

Updated: 5 Aug 2020

On 8 August 2006, hundreds of women gathered in Bloemfontein to launch a new national women’s movement, a non-profit organisation called the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa. It was created as a platform for development for all women of SA regardless of their background. The movement enables women to speak with one voice addressing their concerns regardless of race, class and religion. On that same day, they also celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 1956 march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria that was organised by South African women to protest against the extension of pass laws to African women by the Apartheid government.The membership of the movement consists of more than thirty-five national organizations and institutions that present labour, political parties, business ,art and culture. It has been launched in all nine provinces of SA.

How we know this

01PWMSA, PWMSA background, from Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa, [online], Available at www.pwmsa.org [Accessed: 28 July 2014]
02PANW, (2006), ‘50th Anniversary of South African Women's Day’, from Pan African News Wire, [online], Available at www.panafricannews.blogspot.com [Accessed: 28 July 2014]

Last updated · 5 Aug 2020

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2014, August 1). The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0098080

South African History Online (2014) 'The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA', South African History Online, 1 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0098080 (Accessed: 15 October 2026).

South African History Online, The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0098080, (accessed 15 October 2026).

"The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA." South African History Online, 1 Aug. 2014, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0098080. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "The launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA." South African History Online. August 1, 2014. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0098080.