Women's Day: President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks out against the Taliban's ban on Afghan women

President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the Taliban’s systematic exclusion of Afghan women from education, employment, and public life during his keynote speech at the 70th anniversary commemoration of the 1956 Women’s March in Pretoria on Sunday. Speaking at the Union Buildings, Ramaphosa highlighted the parallels between the struggles of Afghan women under Taliban rule and the historic resistance of South African women against oppressive pass laws. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating girls' right to education, was the guest of honor at the event. The 1956 Women’s March, led by figures such as Lilian Ngoyi, protested against the enforcement of pass laws that restricted the movement of Black South African women. This year’s commemoration, themed “Empowered Women Empower Nations,” drew global attention, especially with Yousafzai’s presence. She spoke of the inspiration she drew from the 1956 march, noting that the courage of those women helped shape her own fight for girls’ education in Pakistan and beyond. According to UNESCO, approximately 2.2 million Afghan girls are currently out of school due to the Taliban’s policies, which began with a ban on secondary education in September 2021, just months after the group seized control of the country. The restrictions expanded to include university education in December 2022. Since then, the UN has documented more than 70 decrees that further curtail the rights of Afghan women and girls. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently issued a warning that if current trends continue, more than 25,000 women teachers and health workers could be lost by 2030, with the proportion of women in civil service dropping from 21% to 17.7% between 2023 and 2025. Ramaphosa emphasized that the Taliban’s actions represent a form of gender-based oppression rather than cultural or religious practice. He stated that no ideology, government, or belief system can justify the systemic exclusion of women from public life. He called on the international community to recognize the Taliban’s policies as a form of gender apartheid, drawing comparisons to the historical injustices faced by women in South Africa under apartheid. Malala Yousafzai described the similarities between the experiences of Afghan women and those of South African women in the 1950s. She noted that while the 1956 protesters faced immense risks, including arrest and violence, their courage laid the foundation for future generations of women activists. She pointed out that in Afghanistan, women face similar dangers for speaking out, with some even ending up in prison for demanding their rights. During her remarks, Yousafzai referenced her recent visit to Constitution Hill, a symbol of South Africa’s struggle against injustice. She observed that the site resonated deeply with the plight of Afghan women, who are often punished for asserting their rights. She contrasted this with South Africa’s declaration of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster in late 2023, highlighting the progress made in addressing such issues domestically. Ramaphosa also urged his government to demonstrate tangible outcomes from its declaration of gender-based violence as a national disaster. He acknowledged the efforts of the Women for Change campaign, which mobilized over a million signatures and organized nationwide protests to raise awareness about the crisis. However, he stressed the need for measurable results in combating gender-based violence and improving the lives of women across all sectors of society. In addition to addressing the global situation, Ramaphosa reflected on the historical context of women’s activism in South Africa. He noted that the repeal of pass laws, which governed the movement of Black South Africans, did not occur until 1986, three decades after the 1956 march. He emphasized that South Africans understood the pain of being denied fundamental rights through legal mechanisms, and that no system should be allowed to reduce women to second-class citizens. As the commemoration concluded, the focus shifted to the importance of women’s political participation in shaping the future. With nearly 55% of registered voters in South Africa being women, there is growing recognition of the role that female voters and leaders play in influencing public policy and service delivery. The upcoming local government elections in 2026 are seen as a critical opportunity to ensure that women’s voices are heard and that their specific needs are addressed in municipal planning and resource allocation.