By Emily Setona
LADYBRAND – In the crisp winter air of Ladybrand, the National Women’s Day celebration on 9 August became more than a ceremonial gathering. In the heart of Mantsopa Local Municipality, it was a rallying cry for transformation – the call to birth a new kind of woman.
The day carried the weight of history and the urgency of the present. President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing the crowd, urged men and government alike to actively advance women’s empowerment.
“Let us make it a tradition – in August and every month – to uplift the women of our country. As government, we must examine every programme to ensure it benefits women. And where we fail, I call on the women of South Africa to rise, confront us, and say: ‘You are failing us. You are not doing what we expect to ensure we have a better life,’” Ramaphosa declared.
Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae echoed his words with a raw, personal challenge to women themselves.
“We must feel for one another – let another woman’s wound be your own. Too often, we pull each other down. This year, we birth a different woman – one who supports others with love, who learns from their skills, and who appreciates what others can do that we cannot. Only then can we uplift and build each other,” she said.
The Premier’s words drew strength from the province’s track record of female leadership. Since 1996, the Free State has had five women at its helm: Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri (1996–1999), Winkie Direko (1999–2004), Beatrice Marshoff (2004–2009), Sisi Ntombela (2018–2023) and Letsoha-Mathae herself, who took office in June 2024.
Today, that legacy is reflected in a strong female presence in the Executive Council: Dibolelo Mance (Public Works and Infrastructure), Mathabo Leeto (Social Development), Julia Maboya (Education), Elizabeth Rockman (Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs) and Ntombizanele Sifuba (Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation).
These appointments, the Premier stressed, represent more than numbers – they are proof of the province’s commitment to putting women at the centre of governance and development.
MEC Sifuba, in her address, turned the day’s theme into a challenge.
“The women of 1956 marched, faced their own challenges and planted seeds for the future. What are the women of today doing? The Premier has said we must birth a new woman – one who does not conspire to tear others down but who builds and uplifts. Remember: small minds discuss people, great minds discuss ideas,” she said.
By day’s end, the message rang clear – the “new woman” is not defined by circumstance, but by choice. She is bold yet compassionate, competitive yet collaborative, fiercely protective of her sisterhood, and unafraid to demand accountability from those in power.
In Ladybrand, the call was not simply to rise, but to redefine womanhood itself – to create a generation of women whose unity becomes their greatest weapon and whose vision shapes South Africa’s future.
