By Celani Sikhakhane
- The Pretoria High Court heard arguments this week in Prince Lekukela Modjadji’s bid to overturn President Ramaphosa’s recognition of his sister, Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII.
- Judges questioned why the faction seeking to install Lekukela waited until after their mother’s death to challenge the centuries-old tradition of female succession.
The Balobedu nation’s centuries-old tradition of female succession was back under scrutiny this week, as the faction seeking to remove Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII faced tough questions over why they waited so long to challenge the rule.
The case returned to the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday and Thursday, as Prince Lekukela Modjadji sought to overturn President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recognition of his younger sister as the rightful Rain Queen.
Lekukela and the Modjadji Royal Council want the throne to go to him instead, a position that would break with the Balobedu tradition of female succession.
Queen Masalanabo was officially recognised by Ramaphosa in December 2024, taking the throne after the death of her mother, Queen Makobo, in 2005, a death that itself sparked years of controversy within the kingdom. Senior royal figure Prof Mathole Motshekga intervened at the time to protect Masalanabo, then a young princess being prepared to eventually take the throne.
Prince Mpapatla Modjadji, appointed regent following Makobo’s death, later rejected Masalanabo’s ascension, breaking with the centuries-old tradition of women’s succession and instead backing Lekukela as the next monarch. He argued Masalanabo could not be trusted with the kingdom’s indigenous language and cultural rituals, since she had grown up outside the nation.
This is not the first time Lekukela’s challenge has failed in court. In June, the Pretoria High Court dismissed an urgent application by Lekukela to remove his sister from the throne, upholding her authority over both the Moroto and Dikhopa initiation ceremonies for boys and girls across the kingdom.
The Balobedu people of Limpopo have been ruled by a dynastic line of hereditary female monarchs, known as the Rain Queens or Modjadji, for over two centuries. The Queens are globally known for their believed mystical ability to control rainfall in the region. The dynasty began around 1800, when King Mugodo transferred power to his daughter, Maselekwane, establishing the tradition of exclusive female succession.
Pictured above: Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII, who is facing her brother, Prince Lekukela Modjadji, in court over his bid to remove her from the throne.
Image source: Queen Modjadji/nstagram
