Rain Queen Makobo Modjadji VI, dies after a sudden illness

On 12 June 2005, Rain Queen Makobo Modjadji VI died in a hospital in Polokwane, Limpopo Province. Rain Queen Modjadji VI is a direct descendent of one of the royal houses of Monomotapa, which ruled over the Zimbabwean people in the 15th and 16th century. Rain Queen Modjadji VI began her reign in April 2003; when she succeeded her grandmother Mokope Modjadji V. Makobo Modjadji VI is the first Rain Queen to have received formal education, and went on to complete high school. The legend of the Rain Queen has been told for centuries, as even Shaka Zulu is said to have asked for her blessing. As the name suggests, the Rain Queen is responsible for bringing rain, and directs an annual rainmaking ceremony in her royal compound.  The legend of the Rain Queen was also popularized by the books King Solomon's Mines and She by author H. Rider Haggard, which drew the world's attention to the role of the Rain Queen of the Balobedu people. As yet, a successor has not yet been appointed, but the Rain Queen is survived by two children, a son and a daughter. The exact details surrounding her death are not clear.