PJ Powers

PJ Powers: South Africa’s Beloved Thandeka

PJ Powers, born Penelope Jane Dunlop in Durban in 1960, became one of the defining voices of South African pop culture. Her rise began with Hotline, the afro-pop group whose energetic sound helped her cross racial and cultural barriers throughout the 1980s. Their hits, including You’re So Good to Me and I Feel So Strong with Steve Kekana, established her as a songwriter with both heart and range.

In 1983, during a spirited performance at the Jabulani Amphitheatre, the crowd gave her the name Thandeka — Loved One — a title that followed her into a solo career that blended dance-floor appeal with messages of hope and unity. Her voice carried across borders, especially in 1995 when her collaboration with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, World in Union, became an international hit and placed her on the global stage at the opening of the Rugby World Cup.

Powers’ career has never been separate from South Africa’s social landscape. She was banned from local airwaves in 1988 for performing at a charity concert in Zimbabwe, yet encouraged privately by Nelson Mandela, who wrote to her from prison. Over the decades she has shared stages with artists such as Eric Clapton, Hugh Masekela and Joan Armatrading, and performed before world leaders including Queen Elizabeth II.

Her honours include a Living Legends Award, the 2021 South African Music Awards Lifetime Achievement recognition, and earlier accolades from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and South African Tourism. Beyond music, she has contributed extensively to outreach work with the Reach For a Dream Foundation and the Hamlet Foundation.

PJ Powers remains one of South Africa’s most enduring performers — a singer whose voice, spirit and generosity earned her the name Thandeka, and whose influence continues to resonate across generations.

Photo by @thepjpowers 

Youtube video Pj Powers