GaModjadji is a small village huddled at the bottom of the Lobedu Mountains in Limpopo Province. Situated approximately 30 kilometres from Tzaneen, in the Mooketsi Valley, the area is home to the famous Modjadji Nature Reserve - home to the largest concentration of cycads in the world.
Where Time Moves Slowly
In GaModjadji, far from the fast-moving world, time has slowed down. Dust envelopes the sandaled feet of those who walk to the local supermarket or the tavern nearby. Goats roam freely onto the road and into the fields.
Small houses clustered together dot the landscape. Some have cars parked in their cramped yards, but these are only for special occasion or long trips. Most people stand or sit at the main road’s corners waiting for a taxi or bus. And donkey carts are still a popular mode of transport.
The Keeper of the Cycads
High on a hill, behind black palisade fencing, stands a large pink house. This is the royal household of the Rain Queen, ruler of the BaLobedu
, who is given the name Modjadji which means ‘The Ruler of the Day’. Not conventionally palatial, the homestead is near the original site of the royal court, whose ruins can still be seen at the top of the Lobedu Mountains.
A short walk up the steep road, within the Queen’s domain, is the nature reserve, which was established in 1985 to protect the cycad. In an area of 530 hectares, this plant holds environmental and cultural importance. The monarchy is the keeper of the cycads and their value to the BaLobedu is considerable.
Hidden Truth
But the value of this plant is a well-kept secret of the BaLobedu. Some say it is because of the food it provides; others believe it is because of its medicinal properties. Whatever the truth, the first BaLobedu people deliberately chose to settle near the cycad forest when they first arrived in the area some 500 years ago.
The elders explain that Princess Dzungungini, daughter of the mighty King of Monomotapa, ruler of the Karanga people in Zimbabwe, had fallen pregnant by her half-brother. Fearing a scandal and her father’s retribution, she chose to leave her home, taking with her some of her father’s rainmaking secrets. These she used to protect her from enemies.
Close to the mountains, the Princess gave birth to her son, Makaphela, who founded the Kingdom of the BaLobedu. For many years, kings were deemed the rightful rulers. But at the beginning of the 19 th century, following an instruction from the ancestors, power was handed to women. This was when the first Modjadji assumed her place as Queen. Here the Modjadji (as she was called) practised her rainmaking and as her reputation grew, her influence began to spread.
Even today, Modjadji is a legendary figure; and it believed that her predecessor was the inspiration for author Rider Haggard’s famous novel SHE.
Rain Making
Each October the Queen and the elders conduct the rain making ceremony, as water is vital to the survival of the cycad. An evergreen, it is similar to the palm tree; and, in South Africa, it is alternatively known as Modjadji’s palm. Unlike the palm tree though, this plant has thick stems that resemble tree trunks and long slim leaves that fan out.
The Modjadji cycad, scientifically known as the Encephalartostransvenosus , is one of the largest cycads in South Africa. In G reek the first part of its name translates as: en, in, cephale, head, and artos, bread – a reference to the ‘flour’ obtained from the trunks of some species by indigenous tribes people . The second part of its name is given because you can see the veins in the leaves when they are turned towards the sun.
Ancient Plants
The Modjadji Nature Reserve is home to some 29 protected species of cycads. Some specimens, 50-60 million years old, grow to more than 13 metres tall, with seed cones weighing up to 34 kilograms. 
It is a short drive on a dirt road from the entrance gate to the information centre. Here visitors can enjoy a picnic after taking one of the hiking trails through the cycad forest. Wooden steps lead from the high vantage spot, descending through tall cycads to bushveld where plains game such as the wildebeest, waterbuck, nyala, impala and bushbuck can be viewed.
Immortal Presence
For the love and protection of her people, Modjadji strives to keep the cycads flourishing. Very little is known of her secret powers, which will pass only to her successor when she simply disappears from the scene. Although all her people believed she was immortal, the present-day queen follows an age-old procedure to pass her reign to her successor. Only a piece of her skin will remain to be used in a potion for the new queen, perpetuating the idea of immortality.
It certainly feels that way, as you walk through the forest, listening to the sweet singing of the birds and the rustle of the wind in the leaves. Life is left behind. It is true, beyond the leaves, past the mountains, another life exists. For now, Modjadji has you in the palm of her reigning hand.
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