Dr Mathole Motshekga, the foster parent of the designated heiress of the Modjadji Rain Queen, Princess Masalanabo Modjadji, is engrossed in a legal battle with a faction of the Modjadji Royal Council to have her rightfully installed to the crown she is set to inherit when she turns 18 in April next year.
The Royal Council has broken with tradition and instated her brother, Prince Lekukela Modjadji, as king of the Balubedo two weeks ago. This, however, is not supported by all.
On Friday, October 14, people from Khetlhakoni village near Modjadiskloof travelled to Pretoria to protest in front of the Pretoria High Court for the reinstatement of Princess Masalanabo Modjadji as heiress to the Rain Queen title. Inside the courthouse, Mathole Motshekga, ANC heavyweight and foster parent of the princess was ordered by the court to pay the legal costs of the Modjadji Royal Council in their ongoing battle over the successorship of the Balobedu Rain Queen throne.
Motshekga is in a legal battle with the Royal Council after they announced in May last year that Prince Lekukela Modjadji would take over the throne instead of the princess. Motshekga contends that Masalanabo is the rightful heir to the throne, as it has always been known that she is set to ascend the throne when she became of legal age. For centuries only females, known as Rain Queens, sat on the throne. Both Masalanabo and Lekukela are children of the late Queen Makobo Modjadji, who died in 2005 after a short illness.
The Royal Council is accusing Motshekga of meddling in the family’s business. They allege that he has been keeping the princess away from the family since he became her guardian when she was three months old, shortly after her mother died. She grew up with him in Gauteng where she also goes to school. On Monday, October 10, Motshekga filed an application to have the matter postponed to 2023 after his previous legal counsel withdrew from the case after his failure to pay and he appointed another lawyer to lead the case.
During the proceedings on October 14, Motshekga’s lawyers argued that they needed more time to prepare because they got access to the records late and could not prepare in time. The presiding judge, Natalie Haupt, referred the case to the Gauteng deputy judge president. She said she could not grant the postponement on the matter and referred it to the Gauteng deputy judge president, Aubrey Ledwaba, to preside over the matter. Both parties will now have to consult with the office of the deputy judge president on the earliest available date of the next court appearance.
The judge further raised concerns over the delays in the trial, saying the matter should be concluded speedily. The judge also ordered that Motshekga could no longer file a case in the interest of Masalanabo and instructed her to obtain her own independent legal representatives from the Pretoria Centre for Child Law. The attorneys at the centre will be able to offer her legal advice and be able to engage with the princess in a space where she will not be influenced by other parties. “For all I know, she could not even be interested to be queen,” Haupt said.
“All he is doing is gaining control of the princess, he is only doing it for his own benefit and that is why the judge ruled that our princess be represented by independent lawyers,” Ronnie Moroatshehla, Royal Council spokesperson told the Herald on Monday. He added that they are in the process of bringing back their princess, and her brother is willing to rule by her side. He said they will use all means available to bring her home (to Limpopo) where she will be protected. On the other hand, Motshekga says the royal family is taking what’s rightfully Mosalanabo’s.
“She is the rightful Rain Queen who was chosen by the ancestors and God, it was known a long time ago that she would one day become the Rain Queen,” he said. When asked if Mosalanabo is interested in becoming the Rain Queen, Motshekga said that she does not have a choice as it is her bloodline. A source close to the royal family said they have no relationship with the princess because Motshekga refuses visitation. The source explained that the siblings had been in contact throughout the years but since the court battle started, their relationship has deteriorated.
The royal council said they have been trying for years to have Motshekga bring the princess back to Balobedu to learn the necessary customs and rituals before she could ascend the throne. They stated this as the reason that they could not install Masalanabo as the queen. Two weeks ago, Lekukela underwent a sacred traditional ceremony during which he assumed the throne. Another Modjadji Royal Council spokesperson, Phetole Mampeule, alluded to family squabbles getting in the way of Masalanabo’s training to be the next queen.
“The appointment of Lekukela as successor of the Balobedu tribe cannot be successfully challenged,” said Mampeule.
