Not a Holiday: Queen Modjadji clears the air on France trip

By Celani Sikhakhane

• The rain queen travelled to France to honour fallen South African soldiers who fought at the Battle of Delville Wood.

• Royals say her official trip was funded by the cooperative governance department and not the defence department as wrongly claimed.

The Modjadji royal family has shut down false claims that Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII went on a private holiday to Paris using taxpayers’ money.

People accused the rain queen of wasting public funds after the Auditor General found problems with travel spending by the defence department.

But the royals say these claims are misleading. They say there is no proof that the queen’s trip to France in July was irregular.

The queen did not go on holiday. The Ministry of Defence invited her to attend the 110-year commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood. The event honours South African soldiers who died in battle.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and other officials also attended the ceremony in Paris from nine to 15 July.

The royals say the defence department did not pay for her trip. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs funded the travel.

The department used its annual budget set aside to support the royal family. The royal office wrote to the cooperative governance department on 10 June to ask for this support.

Rain queen spokesperson Princess Mapula Modjadji-Sethaba said the trip gave the queen a chance to learn more about South Africa’s military history.

She said the event allowed the queen to represent the Bolabedu nation on a global stage. The trip also helped her build relationships that could bring investment to her region.

“It also advances heritage and tourism in the Bolabedu region and strengthens programmes associated with rebuilding and properly establishing the institution of the rain queenship,” Modjadji-Sethaba said.

The royal family said any attempt to link the queen’s official trip to the Auditor General’s report on defence spending is completely false.

Pictured above: Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII.

Image source: Modjadji Instagram