• Boreholes in Tzaneen have run dry, and 42 have been vandalised as villagers cry out for help during a drought.

• Mayor Pule Shayi says R45-million has been set aside to fix boreholes, but locals want the Rain Queen to step in.

The people of Makhwibidung near Tzaneen in Limpopo are desperate. Their taps have run dry, and new boreholes are just as useless as the old ones.

Now, they are turning to the new Rain Queen, Masalanabo Modjadji VII, for help.

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At a recent community meeting, frustrated villagers pleaded with Mayor Pule Shayi to ask the Rain Queen's royal family to perform rain rituals, The Citizen reported.

The Modjadji royal family is known for its mystical rainmaking powers. Every October, five royal families meet at the Rain Queen's palace in Khethakone to call on the ancestors.

Using a magical horn from Zimbabwe and traditional beer called Mphapho, they perform sacred rituals at a place called Thokoleng. When the ancestors respond, the rain comes. Dams and rivers fill up, and the families celebrate by dancing in the rain.

But this year, the drought is worse than ever. The Mopani District Municipality has drilled dozens of new boreholes, but many are bone dry.

Shayi told residents that only 287 out of the area's 663 boreholes are working. He said R45 million has been set aside to repair and energise the rest.

But he admitted that crime is making things worse. "We have a challenge of vandalism, 42 of our boreholes have been vandalised and six transformers stolen," he said.

As the taps stay dry and the sun keeps burning, villagers are pinning their hopes on the Rain Queen to bring back the rain.