Ngwako Modjadji
The Balobedu tribe in the Nothern Province is confident that whoever becomes the next rain queen will have the supernatural powers needed to bring rain.
Although the Modjadji royal council has not yet appointed an heir to the throne, one thing is certain it will be a woman.
The Balobedu clan suffered a serious blow when the Rain Queen, Mokope Modjadji V (64), died last Thursday after heart, kidney and lung failure, barely two days after her daughter Mmakheala (37) died of an undisclosed disease.
Makobo Modjadji (23), the granddaughter of the rain queen, is most likely to succeed her grandmother as she is the only female left in the royal family. If she is crowned, she will be the first queen to have gone to school and the youngest ever to rule the Balobedu tribe.
Her mother who died last Thursday was the first-born daughter of Queen Mokope and the heir to the throne.
The queen is chosen by the Modjadji royal council, consisting of close relatives, after the mourning period is over. According to legend, the heir to the throne is prohibited from having children before she ascends. She is not allowed to wed, but is expected to bear children from secret consorts.
The queen is not seen as a ruler but rather as a rainmaker, important for agriculture. Immediately after the queen-in-waiting ascends the throne, supernatural powers are vested in her by the ancestors of the Balobedu.
When the Mail & Guardian visited the Ga-Modjadji village on Tuesday old women and men were still mourning the death of the rain queen and her daughter. Young people were less respectful of their elders’ traditions. The mourning is expected to last between six months to one year.
Ga-Modjadji is renowned for its cycad trees and the queen’s supernatural ability to bring rain. At the beginning of each rain season the queen has to fast and pray in the ntlo tsweu (white house) and speak to her ancestors alone while men and women await her at the kraal for thokola. Thokola is when the queen beats the drum after her rain prayer and men and women join her in celebration.
The royal council met behind closed doors on Tuesday, but has not yet decided who will be the rain queen’s successor.
A representative for the royal family, Phetole Mmapeule, said it will take some time before they appoint the queen’s successor because there are a number of issues they have to take into account before doing so. When asked about the possible heiress, Mmapeule said it is taboo to tell the public about the queen’s successor at this stage because they are still mourning her death.
Traditionally, bodies of the royal family are covered with animal skin and left to decay. Water is poured over the dead body to transfer rain powers to the heir. Only members of the family are allowed at the royal cemetery.
Modjadji was buried alongside her daughter last Sunday. Among people who attended the funeral were Northern Province Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi and Reserve Bank Governer Tito Mboweni.
The Lobedu are known for their secrecy. The queen led a secluded life. The legend of the Balobedu begun in Zimbabawe in the 16th century when the sons of Monomotopa, a well-known king in the village, argued and decided to share the empire among themselves.
One of the chief’s wives stole the rain charms of the tribe and fled south. After a long journey the chief’s wife and a group of followers settled in Bolobedu.