She is a wife, a mom, a community worker — and a Queen. Her Majesty Queen Neo Mopeli of the Bakoena Nation in the Free State is quietly redefining what royalty means in modern South Africa, pairing humility with a powerful new role at the heart of the country’s climate response.
“I’m a simple girl; at the core of it all,” she said in an interview with SAnews. “My biggest purpose and goal in life is to always work for the marginalised and the vulnerable.”
A royal seat at the climate table
Queen Mopeli serves as one of the 25 commissioners of the Presidential Climate Commission, the independent, multi-stakeholder body established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to oversee South Africa’s just and equitable transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient economy. The second cohort of commissioners was announced in January this year.
As the Commission moves from conceptualisation into implementation, the Queen has a clear mission: making sure the people usually left outside the room are heard inside it.
“I come from the traditional constituency, which makes up a large part of the public that would ordinarily never find themselves in these kinds of rooms, platforms and tables. I would like to ensure that the voices of the rural communities, particularly the women and the young people, are heard,” she explained.
A transition that happens with people
The Queen is passionate about translating climate change out of jargon and into everyday life. Climate change, she notes, is about water security, food security, energy and agriculture — a generational challenge that touches everyone.
“The most important thing is that the transition doesn’t happen to people; it happens with people — that is the motto and the slogan that we are using at the PCC,” she said, adding that South Africa’s Just Energy Transition must keep jobs, inequality and food security at its centre while embracing renewable energy, technology, sustainable agriculture and emerging industries.
The quiet moments that matter most
Becoming Queen six years ago came earlier than she ever expected, and she describes the role as one that has taught her humility, gratitude and thankfulness. While royal life brings glamorous events and prominent company, it is the unphotographed moments she treasures — like the party she hosted at an orphanage, where a child hugged her and said it was the first party they had ever had.
“This is why I do it… and this is why I continue to do it,” said the mother of Prince Motebang, four, and Prince Seeiso, two, who are being raised to understand that leadership comes with responsibility, humility and grace.
As the Sesotho saying she lives by goes: Morena ke Morena ka sechaba — a King is a King through the people. In the Free State highlands, a Queen is proving it every day.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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