"WE WILL NOT NORMALISE PAIN": PREMIER RAMATHUBA CALLS FOR WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, ECONOMIC POWER

Mpho Dube
2 hours ago
2 min read

Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba launches mentorship programme as province hits 45% women in senior management

Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba in Lephalale said: "Women must not accept inequality, abuse, exclusion, poverty or violence as normal." She announced a new mentorship programme to build the next generation of women leaders. #WomensDay #Limpopo

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.

AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact

LIMPOPO— "Women must not accept inequality, abuse, exclusion, poverty or violence as normal."

With those words, Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba set the tone for this year’s #WomensDay commemoration at Moses Monanyane Stadium in Lephalale Local Municipality.

Speaking to thousands of women from across the province, the Premier said the struggle is no longer just about remembrance. It is about results, representation, and real economic power.

Dr Ramathuba said Limpopo has made tangible gains since 1994 in advancing women into decision-making spaces.

"Today, women make up the majority of the provincial Executive Council. They also account for more than 45% of Senior Management Service positions in our government," she said.

"That is progress. But progress must never make us comfortable. We must push further, until every boardroom, every council, and every leadership table reflects the women of Limpopo."

To close the gap, the Premier announced she will personally lead a provincial women’s mentorship programme.

The programme will focus on building confidence, removing fear, and equipping young women with the skills and networks to take up senior leadership positions in government, business, and civil society.

"I am calling on every woman who has made it to turn around and pull another one up," Dr Ramathuba said. "We must mentor, coach, and sponsor the next generation so that leadership is not an exception for women, but the expectation."

The Premier said true empowerment must also be measured in rands and cents.

Government is investing directly in women’s economic participation. More than 10,000 women farmers benefited from support programmes during the 2025/2026 financial year through inputs, training, market access and mechanisation.

"We cannot talk about dignity while women are still trapped in poverty," she said. "When we fund a woman farmer, we feed a family. When we fund a woman-owned business, we build a community."

Closing her keynote, Dr Ramathuba urged women to reject silence and to claim space.

"Do not normalise abuse. Do not normalise exclusion. Do not normalise being last in line," she said. "Limpopo needs your voice, your vision, and your leadership.

The province is rising, and it is rising because women are leading it."

The #WomensDay event in Lephalale was attended by traditional leaders, MECs, mayors, and hundreds of women from across all 5 districts.