Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba with the dedicated team of surgeons and staff at Mankweng Hospital who performed the historic separation of conjoined twins.
Image: Office of the Premier: Limpopo Provincial Government / Facebook
The conjoined twins successfully separated in Limpopo are stable and receiving continuous monitoring, Premier Phophi Ramathuba said, describing them as “the president’s babies” due to the national attention their case has drawn.
“Thank you very much. I've just checked on the babies this morning… they are still stable,” Ramathuba said on a news broadcast. “Post-op, you must understand that there will be at least mild swelling, mild bleeding, but it's not something that our teams cannot handle. We are continuously monitoring them, not only from the clinicians, but also from me… now they are the president's babies. You would have to account for the big boss, what happened to the babies.”
The twins, born on January 28 at Mankweng Hospital outside Polokwane, underwent a complex separation surgery led by Professor Nyaweleni Tshifularo.
The operation began around 7am and concluded shortly after 3pm, lasting approximately eight hours. Prof Tshifularo said the procedure was highly complex because the twins were joined at the trunk and shared certain organs.
Professor Nyaweleni Tshifularo
Image: Office of the Premier: Limpopo Provincial Government / Facebook
The premier said the government was also ensuring that the twins’ family would be well supported after leaving the hospital. Their mother, a 29-year-old with three other children, is currently living with her mother and siblings in an environment that is “not conducive.”
“We had a the Premier's Golf - thanks to the business community - after the State of the Province Address, which was dedicated to raise funds for me to be able to construct a home. We'll be going there with the contractors on Monday. We're giving them three weeks… so that when these babies are discharged, they are going to a conducive home,” Ramathuba said.
The surgical team that made the historic separation of conjoined twins possible.
Image: Facebook
She emphasised that the government could not invest so heavily in the babies’ medical care only to discharge them into an unsafe environment. “Like other families, she's a single mother, but what is important, we must do the right thing. We can't put up so much investment on the babies as government, and then discharge them to go and stay in an environment which can result in them getting infectious diseases, and unfortunately succumb to them. So that is what we are going to do.”
Healthcare professionals at work during a groundbreaking medical milestone.
Image: Facebook
The premier said the support for the family extends beyond housing. Household profiling and ongoing monitoring ensure that the twins’ medical, developmental, and educational needs will be met as they grow.
“This is not just a one-day successful operation. It is a manifestation of a system that we've been working hard for over the past 10 years. Doctors just need to be supported and resourced. It doesn't matter where you are, give them resources, they will perform miracles,” Ramathuba said.
A proud moment for the team that successfully separated conjoined twins in Limpopo.
Image: Supplied
For Limpopo, the twins’ recovery and the government’s commitment to their family mark a historic achievement for rural healthcare - showing that advanced, life-saving care and post-operative support are possible even outside major urban centres.