In a scathing response to the Modjadji Royal Council's vow to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa's recognition of Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII, Dr. Mathole Motshekga, the custodian of the Queen, has dismissed the council as a group of dissidents.
Motshekga said that the council's intentions to go to court are irrelevant, as they are not challenging the Queen or the royal council, but rather the President of the Republic of SA.
This after Prince Lekukela Modjadji announced at a press briefing at the Modjadji Traditional offices in Kethlakhoni on Monday that he intended to take Ramaphosa's decision to court.
In December, Ramaphosa officially recognised Princess Masalanabo Modjadji VII as the Queen of the Balobedu Royal nation.
The recognition marked the end of a long and contentious court battle that saw siblings pitted against each other bringing a significant milestone for the Balobedu Royal Nation and the preservation of their cultural heritage and paving the way for her coronation.
Motshekga emphasised that the matter was no longer in their domain and they would not engage with the council on social media or any other platform.
According to Motshekga, the crux of the matter is that the President's recognition of Queen Masalanabo is in line with the laws of South Africa, and it is the President's prerogative to make such decisions.
He added that the Queen has instructed the royal council to focus on the upcoming coronation.
“We are aware of those intentions according to the media but we can't be dealing with intentions because intentions can change any time… but also what they are intending to do is irrelevant…even if they make a decision to go to court. They are not challenging us. They are challenging the president of SA.
“We are no longer in that space to entertain them. We don't even respond to what they are saying on social media…To say they are a faction would be giving them credence…it would mean there is recognition of a section of the Balobedu people. They are not representing any section of the Balobedu people…They are just people who have been benefiting from the system and they don't want to relinquish power,” Motshekga said in a telephonic interview.
However, spokesperson for the Modjadji Royal Council Ronnie Moroatshehla, poured cold water on Motshekga’s assertions, saying ‘first of all he had no family blood line’.
He challenged Ramaphosa’s decision asking how he had arrived at it.
“How do you arrive at recognising Masalanabo when you are aware that there is a dispute. And you recognise without consulting the royal family?” Moroatshehla asked.
“In 2021 the Royal Family recognised Prince Lekukela Modjadji as the rightful heir,” he said.
He confirmed that the group was going to court to overturn Ramaphosa’s decision.
“Even as it goes to court the people on the ground must be clarified because we had no initial decision to go against [Queen]Masalanabo.
“The whole trouble started in 2019 when the family wanted the child back so that she gets trained to ascend the throne…But the child did not come back home and was never trained,” he argued.
The public spat between the two factions has been ongoing for years, with the Modjadji Royal Council recognising Prince Lekukela Modjadji as the rightful heir in 2021.
However, President Ramaphosa's recognition of Queen Masalanabo has paved the way for her coronation, which is expected to take place in March.