The Herald (Harare)
Netsai Mpandawana
1 July 2009
Harare — DURBAN-born South African songbird PJ Powers is set to renew her romance with locals when she holds a string of shows in the capital this week.
All the five shows will be staged at Belgravia's Reps Theatre.
According to the show organisers the shows kick off today up to Friday with a special matinee scheduled for 2.30pm on Saturday July 4.
P J Powers has performed in Zimbabwe many times since the late 1980s and has a strong following in the country. She thrilled the crowd at this year's Harare International Festival of the Arts.
One of her most successful appearances was before
5 000 people at a fundraising concert at the Polo Grounds just north of Harare in April 2000, which followed a critically-acclaimed, week-long show series at the Rainbow 7 Arts Theatre in 1996.
P J Powers first made a name for herself in a girl group in the early 1980s and then went on to national fame across South Africa with Hotline.
She has performed at various venues, including at stadiums in 'townships' at a time when crossover music between the races in South Africa was frowned on by the authorities.
She established a correspondence-based relationship with Nelson Mandela at the time and cemented this with a working relationship when he was released from prison and then went on to become South Africa's first democratically elected President.
PJ Powers has released a number of top-selling albums and one of her greatest hits was the song Jabulani, which was released internationally.
In 1995 she sang at the opening and closing matches of the Rugby World Cup, viewed by more than 500 million people across the world.
She also sang at Nelson Mandela's 1994 inauguration and at various of his birthday parties and was invited to perform for Hollywood star Charlize Theron when the actress returned to South Africa after winning an Oscar several years ago.
Besides the passion for music she also holds a desire for Africa's underprivileged children and spends much time, effort and money in helping orphans, orphanages and children's charities.
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