Pride at all-women SANDF parade
PRIDE and awe filled the faces of spectators during an allwomen parade of members of the South African National Defence Force.
The women, from the army, air force, Navy and the SA Medical Health Service, filled the military sports ground at Thaba Tshwane in the city.
Director of nursing Brigadier-General Lulu Siwisa described the grounds as “holy ground” for all soldiers in the country.
“It does not matter the rank or qualification we hold; the parade ground is a holy place for us because this is where we all started.
“It is on these grounds where we drill and it fills me with a lot of pride to see this beautiful parade today. I must add that it is the best parade I have ever seen,” she said.
The female officers showed off their parading skills to their counterparts, male and female, who watched with interest from the benches.
The parade, it its sixth year, was launched by former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu in 2011.
It is reportedly believed in military ranks that the celebration is vital because the coun- try enjoys peace and stability largely due to the contribution by women in the defence force, who worked closely with their male counterparts.
“This is to also pay tribute to more than 20 000 women who protested against pass laws as they have also paved a way for women in the defence force” Major-General Catharine Motlhabane told spectators.
Motlhabane said the department promoted gender equality and women empowerment across all spheres of life.
As a result, the defence force had continuously adopted 30% women representation in all decision-making structures, Motlhabane said.
“The department is not only a male-dominated structure, but females also have space and their voices are heard,” she said.
Siwisa and her colleagues watched with proud emotion from the sidelines, and they said watching the “perfection” of the different sectors took them back in time: “I wish I could rewind the clock and be part of the parade myself,” Siwisa said.
“It is unheard of to see a women-only parade; looking at them taking charge and being commanded by other women I get mixed emotions.”