LIMPOPO – Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has cautioned women in leadership positions against allowing younger men to influence major financial decisions, saying many successful women have lost assets to these relationships.

Speaking during the handover of a new house to the mother of the conjoined twins, Ramathuba urged women to safeguard their assets and consider registering them in their children’s names.

‘The downfall of women is Ben 10s’

“If you look at the downfall of women in leadership, especially in politics, it is because of Ben 10s,” she said. “You are given power, given a municipality, and then some boy just comes and makes you change. Those who never contributed to an asset want to own it.”

Ramathuba said women who have worked hard to acquire homes, businesses and other assets should take steps to ensure that their children benefit from those investments in the future.

“I wish that when we are done, we can even look at registering this house in the names of all the children and not the mother,” she said.

An investment in children’s future

Addressing the twins’ mother, she encouraged her to view the newly built house as an investment in her children’s future.

The premier said gratitude for the support received would be reflected in the opportunities created for the children in years to come.

“You don’t need to say thank you to Risima,” she said. “You say thank you by showing us one day when we come here, we see those children having a future, having good professions, working and taking you upwards.”

Read more: Premier hands over home to mother of Limpopo conjoined twins

The house was funded by Risima Housing Finance Corporation, a Limpopo-based subsidiary of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (Leda), and was handed over to the family following months of support from government and stakeholders involved in the care of the conjoined twins.