In the heart of the mountains near Duiwelskloof, the Balobedu people are preparing to crown a new queen. Makobo Modjadji, the grand-daughter of Modjadji V, has been
named as the successor to the Rain Queen, who died two years ago.
At 25, she will become youngest queen in the history of the line and the first to be educated.
She was chosen as the successor after her mother, Princess Maria Modjadji, died two days before Modjadji V. Modjadji VI raised by her grandmother and initiated in the ways of a Rain Queen, will be crowned in the Modjadji Royal Court in Bolobedu by King Mphephu of Venda next Friday.
A representative for the family, former Gauteng premier Mathole Motshekga, said she was looking forward to her crowning ceremony. ”She realises that it is a great responsibility but she is ready for it,” he said.
Being the youngest of all the queens that have ruled, she has the task of interacting with eight chiefs and more than 300 ”matona” or headmen.
According to custom, the Rain Queen never marries. She is allowed ”wives”, normally from the household of the subject chiefs, who are chosen by the Royal Council.
Although she is not allowed to wed, she is not expected to confine her sexual desires. When she wants to have a child, the council will choose a man of the right royal credentials.
The history of how the tribe came into being is recounted in ”The Realm of the Rain Queen”, written by the late JD Krige and E Jensen Krige after they conducted a study of the people during the 1920s and 1930s.
According to their research, the Modjadji line was created by Princess Dzugudini, the granddaughter of Monomotapa, who some 500 years ago, controlled much of what is present-day Zimbabwe. The Princess was forced to flee her father’s wrath when she fell in love and gave birth to a son out of wedlock.
Enraged, her father King Mambo demanded to know the identity of the culprit. The guilty man was to be found and punished — which usually meant death. The princess kept silent — unable to admit to her father that her lover was her half-brother, and one of his favourite sons.
Her mother, fearing for Dzungudini’s life, stole the king’s rain charms and scared beads. She taught her daughter to use the instruments to make rain and begged her to flee with her son before Mambo took action.
The princess travelled into South Africa and settled near present day Duiwelskloof in the Limpopo Province, where she established a new kingdom.
Dzugudini was succeeded by Makaphimo, the son born from her incestuous affair, who was in turn succeeded by a number of kings. A woman returned to the throne some 300 years later when Mugado, the outcast king, was in power.
Mugado was convinced that his counsellors were sorcerers, that they corrupted his wives and plotted to usurp him. His elder brother rose against him. Mugado managed to drive off his brother but the damage was done and the tribe split in two.
He then went about executing his detractors — including his sons. He believed they were seducing his younger wives, and slaughtering his cattle to gain popularity with the people.
Eventually the ageing king realised he had no successor. He approached one of his daughters and offered her the throne if she would bear him an heir. She rejected the offer.
Mugado then went to a second daughter, Modjadji, who promised to be the ”the servant of your will”.
The king had a secret hut built and in time his daughter bore him a son. The infant was strangled soon after birth. Modjadji conceived again and had a daughter, assuring the female line.
When Modjadji I became queen, she turned the chaos of her father’s reign to peace and prosperity.
Surrounded by suspicions and restrictions which forced her into seclusion, the concept of her immortality grew. When the army of Zulu King Shaka went on the rampage, her tribe was the only one to survive intact.
The invincible Modjadji’s ability to control the elements — to send rain, hail or locusts — reportedly stopped them in their tracks.
Ironically, while rain on the day of her coronation will be a symbol of Modjadji VI power and a blessing on her and her people, everyone is praying that it does not rain.
”We want the ceremony to go smoothly. Rain will be a blessing for the queen but it will disrupt proceedings,” said Motshekga.
Partly cloudy conditions are forecast for the area next Friday, according to the SA Weather Bureau. – Sapa