‘Open your books and close your legs’ - Limpopo health MEC slammed over back to school message
Image: Alaister Russell
Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has been criticised on social media after a video of her advising schoolgirls to “open your books and close your legs”.
Ramathuba visited Gwenane secondary school in Sekgakgapeng on Wednesday to monitor the first day of the new academic year.
During her visit, she told the pupils to focus on their studies and not on sexual activities, to reduce teenage pregnancy at schools.
“Some young people have contracted HIV/Aids because they are with older people, they want blessers. The smartphone and Brazilian hair they bought you doesn’t come for free, it comes with a disease. We should ban these Brazilian hair extensions in our schools,” said Ramathuba.
“To the girl child I say: Open your books, and close your legs. Don’t open your legs, open your books. Thank you very much!” she added.
Watch the full video below
A Stats SA report on teenage pregnancy revealed that 33,899 births registered in 2020 were to mothers aged 17 years and younger. More than 600 of the girls were aged between 10 and 13 years.
Figures for national deliveries in facilities by the Department of Health revealed that 132,612 girls aged 15 to 19 fell pregnant in 2020 and a further 35,209 between January and March 2021.
On social media, many slammed Ramathuba for giving “deeply problematic” advice, saying she should be telling “the boys to keep their zips closed”.
Ramathuba told TimesLIVE that her statement was taken out of context.
She said that her message was not only directed at schoolgirls but boys too.
"I told the boys to focus on their education and not sleep with girls," she said
Ramathuba said her constituent appreciated the message she delivered.
"My constituent appreciated the message. They were even saying that they were afraid to say these things and thanked me for calling a spade a spade," she said.
Here is a snapshot of what many had to say:
‘To the girl child: open your books and close your legs’ - says the *Health* MEC. @PhophiRamathuba - this kind of narrative to young children is deeply problematic. Shifts responsibility to girl children to shoulder the burden of safe sex practices & rape culture. It’s rubbish. https://t.co/wBC3VXij74
— Siviwe Gwarube (@Siviwe_G) January 12, 2022
Where’s the 👌🏾👌🏾 clip about what boys must do? Or better yet, teachers who are raping school children, Pastors raping school children, Uncles and fathers raping children. https://t.co/wcZhF6qOx0
— Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng (@drtlaleng) January 12, 2022
What is this trash? 😠😡 https://t.co/GIm4mxDWPZ
— Lindiwe Mazibuko (@LindiMazibuko) January 12, 2022
We place such a heavy burden of reproductive responsibility on the shoulders of the girl child; from birth control to maternity care to raising a child- we are the automatic default for carrying this mental load. The practice needs to be discouraged on every platform. Ignorance https://t.co/XjSCybwVrm
— IG: letleefeedyou (@letleefeedyou) January 12, 2022
Maybe there should be sex education for adults because they are the teachers, community, religious leaders who are upholding these archaic and extremely dangerous narratives.
— Nonhle (@NonhleBeryl) January 12, 2022
Any victim of sexual abuse in this assembly is now gonna blame themselves and that’s just…💔💔 https://t.co/Y0jcmTLCgZ
I hate messages like these , I deal with sexual abuse cases against children on a daily , girl children are sexually abused every single day , the narrative that teenage pregnancy is due to girls being promiscuous is ill informed ,mysogynistic and downright disrespectful. https://t.co/ivLONKqQh8
— BLACK BARBIE🌸 (@RihnTihnTihn) January 12, 2022
This is not an appropriate way to talk to kids about abuse, sex and consent & she's a doctor and a woman, I'm so disappointed. https://t.co/gdRIMC3tW0
— Mimi Green 💚. (@mihletshemese) January 12, 2022
doesn't matter whether we have old/ young leaders, we will continue to get these awful awful takes on public platforms. depressing https://t.co/dDezadFH6C
— Janine J 💕 (@janine_j) January 12, 2022
It’s 2022 and adults still think putting the burden on young girls to “close their legs” counts as sex education and is an appropriate way to address young girls being preyed on by adult men https://t.co/JbDnQ1GhtF
— naledi (@naledimashishi) January 12, 2022
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