14/50 P.J POWERS

Airing December 16th-22nd on Inspiring South Africans with Heather de Wit and her musical guest PJ Powers who was voted one of the top 10 people brands in South Africa in 2011 and her musical career has spanned well over 3 decades and crosses all barriers of both age and race.

Famous since the 80’s, when her band “Hotline” was the largest selling band in South Africa, PJ’s solo career has contained many highlights and she has recorded 16 albums and has just released her latest CD ‘Destiny’.

Her book ‘Here I am’ is out.

PJ has sung with many of the greats – to name a few : Miriam Makeba, Margaret Singana, Steve Kekana, Hugh Masekela, Eric Clapton, Joan Armitrading and Harry Belafonte.

Some of PJ’s Madiba Moments

PJ’s greatest highlight she says, was receiving a letter from Nelson Mandela in 1989, when he was in Victor Verster prison and it is still one of her most treasured possessions.
She was asked to sing the “World In Union” in 1995 byMadiba, when South Africa won the Rugby World Cup and this song was featured in 2009 in the Academy Award-nominated film “Invictus”, which tells the story of this event.
PJ also sang at the inauguration of Mandela as the first democratic President.
Tata honored her again, by asking her to write a special song for his 85th birthday, which she says is still one of her favourite songs and which she sang in front of a celebrity filled room including Oprah, Robert de Niro, The Corrs, Peter Gabriel and the Clinton’s amongst many others.

In the 80′s PJ was named Thandeka, “the Loved One” by the people of Soweto, when she sang one of her biggest hits, “Jabulani” at the Soweto stadium.