As Women’s Month came to a close, the IJR facilitated H&M South Africa’s Women’s Month Summit on 28 August at their Cape Town offices. The summit brought together colleagues from across the country for an afternoon of reflection, dialogue, and learning on the progress, challenges, and future of women’s rights in South Africa.

Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, participants explored themes of leadership, resilience, and gender equality, while sharing personal narratives that underscored the everyday realities women face. The space was designed to honour the voices and experiences of women past and present, while fostering connection and meaningful engagement among participants.

Facilitating the conversation, IJR’s Danielle Hoffmeester reflected on the need to approach such discussions from both a professional and personal perspective. “I don’t just come here as a professional, I come here as a human being, as a woman,” she said. She reminded participants that while South Africa’s constitution is progressive, its promises often fail to translate into lived realities, especially at grassroots level, where gender-based violence and feminicide remain devastatingly high.

H&M’s People Relations Manager, Cassidy Miller, reinforced the company’s commitment to inclusion, noting that “H&M has been really firm in our stance that inclusion is part of our identity and without that identity, there isn’t a possibility to thrive.”

The keynote speaker, IJR board member Dr Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, brought both history and hope into the room. As one of the few women present at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA), a former Deputy Minister, and co-founder of the NGO Embrace Dignity, her journey offered a powerful reminder of the resilience and leadership of women in South Africa’s democratic transition.

Madlala-Routledge challenged H&M to commit to a year-long intergenerational dialogue and stressed that her path into politics was shaped by circumstance and struggle: “I didn’t choose politics, politics chose me.” Drawing inspiration from the 1956 Women’s March, she reflected: “We used this date to remind ourselves that victory in this lifetime is possible.”

She urged attendees to use Women’s Month as a time of reflection, asking, “What has been done? What unites us as women? What kind of South Africa would you like to see?” For her, the task ahead is not only to commemorate but to transform: “All of these laws are there but we want to see them come alive in our lives.”

Before opening the floor to questions, she left the audience with two powerful points: “Whose memory are we remembering? It’s all the men’s stories we are remembering. At what point do we move from commemoration to transformation?”

The audience engaged enthusiastically, raising questions about the intersections of patriarchy and capitalism, cross-cultural dialogue, and stereotypes that frame women as “too sensitive.” Madlala-Routledge closed with a call to action: “You must vote with your hopes, not your fears.”

The summit also featured poetry readings by H&M staff and a musical performance that brought the room to life, creating moments of shared joy and inspiration. Later, participants broke into smaller groups facilitated by IJR staff to share experiences, reflect on gender in the workplace, and discuss what was missing from the conversation. A panel of H&M employees then built on these reflections, exploring the barriers women face, the importance of sharing best practices, and the hopes they carry for the future.

The day concluded with a renewed sense of energy, unity, and responsibility. What began as a moment of reflection on Women’s Month evolved into a call to action, a reminder that change requires both courage and commitment, and that gender equality in South Africa remains a collective journey.