Embattled Balobedu monarch Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII has received a major vote of confidence from fellow traditional leaders, being elected Deputy Chairperson of the Forum of South African Majesties just as her queenship is being fiercely contested in the High Court.
Queen Masalanabo was elected deputy to King Ndamase of Amapondo aseNyandeni, who was elected Chairperson of the Forum at a sitting that drew the highest level of government recognition, with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa and both his deputies Dr Dickson Masemola and Reverend Prince Burns-Ncamashe in attendance.
The election comes months after the death of King Mabena of AmaNdebele, who previously led the forum.
The Forum for South African Majesties is an official consultative platform launched in October 2024 by CoGTA to create direct dialogue between government and the country’s kings, queens and principal traditional leaders.
Her brother Prince Lekukela Modjadji is in court arguing she should not be queen.
In the Pretoria High Court last month, the battle for the Modjadji throne reached a decisive stage as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s legal team defended his December 2024 decision to recognise Masalanabo as Queen.
Some members of the royal family are challenging her ascension, claiming the President had no right to issue her certificate of recognition.
But the President’s lawyers argued he had no legal basis to deny her.
Prince Lekukela had not responded by the time of publication.
Born on 20 January 2005, Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII is the latest custodian of a historic matrilineal dynasty that dates back to the 16th century.
The Balobedu Queenship in Limpopo holds a unique place in South Africa as the country’s only legally recognised queenship.
His Majesty King Mangaliso Ndlovuyezwe Ndamase, Ndamase II, is the reigning sixth Kumkani of the AmaMpondo aseNyandeni Kingship, also known as Western Pondoland, in the Eastern Cape.