Khesethwane Modjadji III (18691959) became the third

Rain Queen Queen Modjadji, or the Rain Queen, is the hereditary queen of Balobedu, a people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Rain Queen is believed to have special powers, including the ability to control the clouds and rainfall. She is know ...

from the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Balobedu The Lobedu or Balobedu ''(''also known as the BaLozwi or Bathobolo'')'' are a southern African ethnic group that speak a Northern Sotho dialect. Their area is called Bolobedu. The name "balobedu" means "the mineral miners", lobela or go loba � ...

nation of the South African

Limpopo Province Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers ...

.Bonnie G. Smith. «The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History: 4 Volume Set». Khesetoane reigned from 1895 to 1959. She was preceded by Rain Queen Masalanabo Modjadji II and succeeded by Rain Queen Makoma Modjadji IV.

Life

Khesetoane was born in the 1869 and died in 1959 age 89 or 90. In 1894 her predecessor, Masalanabo Modjadji, committed ritual suicide by ingesting a poison, Maselekwane had done the same to pass her spirit and power to the next rain queen. Khesethwane was the daughter of Masalanabo's great wife and sister , Princess Leakhali who was a commoner through her father, and became the heir to the throne. Queen Masalanabo's royal council had already designated her as the next Queen before Masalanabo's death because Masalababo was childless or without any daughters. She was the longest reigning Rain Queen for being on the throne for 64 years. She chose her daughter Makoma to become her successor. Khesethwane is believed to have cursed the rest of the Rain Queen lineage because of her refusal to commit ritual suicide when the time came upon nearing her death.

References

1869 births 1959 deaths Rain Queens 19th-century women monarchs 20th-century women monarchs South African Republic people {{SouthAfrica-bio-stub