Modjadji V; S. African Tribal Leader Known as the ‘Rain Queen’
Modjadji V, 64, the “Rain Queen” of the Bolobedu tribe in South Africa, died Thursday of renal and heart failure at a clinic in Pietersburg.
Believed by her people to have magical control over weather, Modjadji was the only female tribal ruler in modern-day South Africa. Her magical powers, her people believe, are passed down from queen to queen, allowing her to transform clouds and create rain.
Other tribes, including the more powerful Zulus and Swazi, believed in her magical powers as well and, as a result, left the Bolobedus unmolested for generations.
Former President Nelson Mandela had grown friendly with Modjadji during his presidency and once gave the queen a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a sedan--donated by Nissan and Toyota--to help her reach her home up a steep and winding road in the remote Northern Province.
The queen’s death was the second tragedy in the past week in the Modjadji royal house, which dates back to the early 1800s. The queen’s 20-year-old daughter, Makhaele Modjadji VI, died Monday after a short illness.
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