The Modjadji meaning (Rain Queen) is the hereditary queen of Balobedu people living in Limpopo Province of South Africa. The succession to position of Rain Queen is matrilineal; being passed from the Queen to eldest daughter. Males never inherit the throne. The Modjadji or Rain Queen is believed to possess special powers like the ability to control the clouds and rainfall.
The Creation of Modjadji The Rain Queen
There are several different stories regarding the creation and history of Rain Queens of Balobedu, but historically, Queen Modjadji is a direct descendant of the once powerful royal house of Monomolapa who ruled in Zimbabwe in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Modjadji first engaged the world’s attention when Rider Haggard wrote the classical novels King Solomon’s Mines and She.
The rule of South Africa’s most recent Rain Queen, Makobo Modjadji V1 is said to have began in 2003 when the 25 year-old succeeded her grandmother Mokope Modjadji V. Queen Makobo Modjadji V1’s own mother Princess Maria Modjadji, the real successor died. Modjadji V1 is the first rain queen to have received formal education.Modjadji's Duties
Apart from her ruling duties, Modjadji has the duty of providing her nation of 150 villages and more than a million people with rain.
According to custom, the Queen eschews public functions, and communicates to her people via her male councillors and indunas (village headmen).
In November of every year she directs the annual rainmaking ceremony at her royal compound in Khelihakone village. The Queen never marries, but she bears children by her close relatives. She is cared for by her ‘wives’, which are sent from the many villages. When she is nearing death she appoints her eldest daughter as her successor and then she supposedly ingests poison.
South African archaeologist, Sidney Miller has excavated the ruins of the original Modjadji kraal, which include stone foundations, pottery and bear resemblance to the famous ruins in the far north of the Great Zimbabwe ruins, lending further credibility to the many legends.
Whether or not the Modjadji truly possesses the magic of rain making remains a mystery. However, the owners and guests visiting Modjadji House swear it’s true.
For, how can one explain why Modjadji House is the only haven in JOHANNESBURG OR GAUTENG where modjadji cycads thrive and the palatial lawns are blessed with abundant rainfall?