PJ powers the Bay
03 May 2011
Powers was visiting the city for the Community Chest Silver Star Charity Ball, where she performed some of the songs that catapulted her to fame in the late 1980s – a celebrity that won her the chance to perform in at the 1995 IRB Rugby World Cup opening in South Africa. Powers sang the World Cup anthem, World in Union with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
She said was “totally enamoured” by Nelson Mandela Bay, where she spent a long-weekend mixing business with pleasure. “If you came here 10 years ago and you come here today, the change and the positivity and the fantastic holiday destination that is has become is the thing I like the most,” said the powerful South African performer.
Her visit and performance at the Community Chest ball at The Boardwalk conference centre, which is closing for a total revamp and upgrade of its facilitates, is aligned with her strong passion for charity. Powers supports many children’s charities, including Reach For a Dream and also the South African Federation for Mental Health.
This passion was matched by a renewed love for Nelson Mandela Bay, after NMBT’s Skefile treated the star to a tour of the city and its finest accommodation and dining establishments. Skefile launched the NMBT CEO Roadshow in December last year when she piloted the project to promote the city as a destination with FHM editor Hagen Engler and his wife Nomfundo.
“This initiative falls in line with our 101 reasons to love Nelson Mandela Bay campaign which we launched last year during tourism month,” Skefile explained.
“It’s really to encourage our locals to get to know more about our city since because most of the people who visit us anyway are visiting friends and family – and I now consider PJ a ‘visiting friend’. It’s easier when locals know where to take their visitors in Nelson Mandela Bay for them to promote the destination.
“Now we have tacked another approach onto the 101 reasons campaign, the celebrity angle, where we approach celebrities like PJ and also celebrities who come from the city but live in other places in South Africa. We invite them to come here to explore the city so they can promote the city to their friends and encourage them to come spend some time in our superb destination, Nelson Mandela Bay.”
In 1988 Powers was banned from radio and TV for a year by the apartheid government for her performance at a charity concert for war orphans in Zimbabwe, together with Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte. She was encouraged to continue her singing by Nelson Mandela, who sent her an encouraging letter from Victor Verster Prison in Cape Town.
Powers has shared the stage with Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Hugh Masekela, Divine Divas, Lord Richard Attenborough, Richard E. Grant, Sibongile Khumalo, Janet Suzman and other big names. She sang at the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela and at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. PJ also wrote an 85th birthday song for Mandela, which she sang for him and guests including Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey at his party in 2003. In 2009 World In Union was featured in the Academy Award-nominated film, Invictus.
While in Nelson Mandela Bay, Powers stayed at the illustrious Shamwari Townhouse, where she was impressed by their quality service, attention to detail and impressive art collection.
“I just love Shamwari Townhouse – it is without a doubt one of my favourite hotels in the world. They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable, relaxed, their attention to detail put it in another league when it comes to customer service.
“I am also a huge fan of Adrian Gardiner’s expansive art collection, which provides eye-candy for the people who come to stay at Shamwari Townhouse,” said Powers.
She also visited The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment Complex with Skefile, admiring the aesthetic waterfront and selection of shops. Locals immediately recognised the star who – calling her by her African name, Thandeka – stopped her to have a chat to one of South Africa’s greatest entertainment icons.
She then went for dinner with Skefile at the Radisson Blu’s respected Filini restaurant, also causing a celebrity stir there with the patrons and South African national aquatics participants. “I don’t work from an ivory tower,” the starlet enthused. “I shoot from the hip and am very down to earth, just like the people of Nelson Mandela Bay.”
Powers is a South African Tourism Ambassador and on the Saturday evening of the Charity ball was asked by Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Zanoxolo Wayile to become a “daughter of the city”.
“I was very privileged on Saturday to have the mayor get on stage with me and make me an honourary daughter of Nelson Mandela Bay, he adopted me – so you will be seeing a lot more of me in the future, which I am thrilled about.”
Why the excitement from one of the top 100 great South African’s? “Because of the people! I love the people. I think it’s the Friendly City for a reason: the people are friendly, grounded and have their feet on the earth. It’s the people who make the city, people like Lavinia Malgas, our transport coordinator who has been a bundle of precious joy always smiling and willing to help.”
“Nelson Mandela Bay is also so clean – it’s a pleasure to land in a city that is so spotless and pristine. These are the reasons I just have to come back again and again.”
A short video of Powers’ visit is being edited and will be released next month. The Engler visit video has just been completed and syndicated to media.
Author: Amy Shelver
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