Penny Penny Biography: Wife, Best Songs, Net Worth, Children, Albums, Family

Biography

Penny Penny, born Eric Kulani Giyani Nkovani (also known as Gezani Kobane) in 1962 in Limpopo, South Africa, is a celebrated South African musician, politician, and television personality.

Affectionately dubbed the “Shangaan Disco King,” he pioneered Tsonga disco (also called Shangaan disco), blending traditional Tsonga rhythms and language with house and disco beats.

Growing up as the youngest of 68 children in a polygamous family (his father, a traditional healer, had 25 wives), Penny faced poverty with no formal education. He worked on farms, in gold mines, and as a studio cleaner in Johannesburg, where he self-taught recording skills.

His breakthrough came with the 1994 debut album Shaka Bundu, recorded in just one week—it sold over 250,000 copies, achieving massive success and filling stadiums across Africa. He followed with albums like Yogo Yogo (1996) and remained a major figure in the 1990s and 2000s music scene.

Later, he transitioned into politics (including election to South Africa’s National Assembly in 2024 with uMkhonto weSizwe) and starred in the reality TV show Papa Penny Ahee on Mzansi Magic since 2017.

Married with over 15 children, Penny Penny‘s story is one of remarkable resilience, cultural pride, and rags-to-riches success.

South African musician, politician, and television personality
Penny Penny
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Eric Kulani Giyani Nkovani
Stage Name:	Penny Penny
Born:	14 March 1962 (age 63 years old)
Place of Birth:	Limpopo, South Africa
Nationality:	South African
Education:	N/A
Height:	N/A
Parents:	Joseph Nkovani, Maria Nkovani
Siblings:	67
Spouse:	Suzan Ngobeni
Girlfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	25
Occupation:	Musician • Politician • TV Personality
Net Worth:	$1.1 million (USD)

Early Life & Background

Penny Penny, born Eric Kulani Giyani Nkovani (also known as Giyani Kulani or Gezani Kobane) on March 14, 1962, in a rural area near Giyani in Limpopo Province, South Africa, grew up in profound poverty within a large Tsonga (Shangaan) family.

Of Tsonga ethnicity, he was deeply immersed in his people’s cultural traditions from an early age, which later profoundly shaped his innovative Tsonga disco music, blending traditional rhythms with modern beats.

His father, Joseph Nkovani, was a respected traditional healer and surgeon/doctor in the community, practicing African traditional medicine. His mother, Maria Nkovani, was one of his father’s multiple wives in a polygamous household.

The family adhered to traditional African spiritual beliefs, incorporating ancestral veneration and healing practices central to Tsonga customs, though no formal organized religion dominated his upbringing.

Penny was the youngest of 68 children, born into this expansive polygamous setup where his father had between 17 and 27 wives, according to various family accounts. Life was marked by hardship; the large family struggled financially, and after his father’s passing, the burden intensified.

Due to these circumstances, Penny received no formal education and remained illiterate for much of his early life. From around age 10, he worked on farms to help support himself and the family.

He later took jobs in gold mines near Carletonville and as a studio cleaner in Johannesburg, where he self-taught skills in music production and honed his renowned dancing abilities—earning the nickname “Penny” from local breakdancing competitions he won as a teenager.

Career

Penny Penny’s career began with humble roots and grew into a remarkable story as a South African musician, TV personality, and politician. He is fondly called the “Shangaan Disco King” for making Tsonga disco popular.

After working various jobs, including as a studio cleaner in Johannesburg, his big break came when producer Joe Shirimani discovered him. This led to his first album, Shaka Bundu, in 1994. Recorded in just one week and sung entirely in Xitsonga, the album mixed traditional Tsonga rhythms with house and disco beats.

It became a huge success, selling over 250,000 copies, earning double-platinum status, and filling stadiums across Africa, including in South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Namibia, and Mozambique.

He continued this success in the 1990s with albums like Yogo Yogo (1996), which reportedly sold even more than his debut and reached triple-platinum, as well as Makajanta Jive (also spelled Makanjta Jive or Makanja Jive, 1997–1998), La Phinda Ishangaane (1997), Juri Juri (1998), Bum Bum (1999), Viyana Viyana (2000), and others such as The King of Tamakhwaya series (2001–2002) and collaborations like The King vs the General (2009) with General Muzka.

These albums helped shape Tsonga disco, combining cultural pride with modern electronic sounds, his unique raspy voice, and energetic style. In the 2000s, as music trends shifted toward kwaito, he became less visible in the mainstream and focused more on local politics. He served as a council member with the African National Congress (ANC) but later left the party, saying he was mistreated.

In 2013, his career saw a comeback when the label Awesome Tapes From Africa reissued Shaka Bundu internationally. This brought his music to new audiences and renewed interest, including performances in places like Los Angeles.

Since 2017, he has starred in the reality TV series Papa Penny Ahee (also called Penny Ahee) on Mzansi Magic. The show follows his life as a polygamist father, his music, community work, and lively personality. It continued for several seasons and was approved after he served as a judge on Clash of the Choirs.

He has kept releasing music, including reissues and new albums like Silima Watolovela (2019), Makanja Jive (2019), Yogo Yogo (2020 reissue), Gana Gana (2023), and Sesi Va Rosie (2023), keeping his legacy strong.

In 2024, Penny Penny entered national politics by joining the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and was elected to the National Assembly in the South African general election. He remains active and brings his energetic presence to parliament.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Penny Penny
• YouTube: Penny Penny Greatest Hits
• Instagram: papa penny penny (@penny_penny_shaka_bundu)
• Facebook: Penny Penny Ahee

Personal Life

Penny Penny, born on March 14, 1962, is 63 years old.

He is currently married to Suzan Ngobeni (also spelled Susan Ngoveni or Susan Ngobeni), who is widely known to fans as Mama Nomi from his reality TV series Papa Penny Ahee.

In the show and on media appearances, she is affectionately referred to as Mama Nomi, and the couple has been featured together in various episodes highlighting their family life, including surprises such as ring proposals, cultural teachings, and the resolution of family tensions.

Suzan has been a central figure in his personal story, with Penny often joking with or about her on-screen, and they share children, including a daughter named Nomination and others born during their marriage (such as announcements about expecting baby number 25 in earlier years).

Penny comes from a polygamous family background—his father had multiple wives—and he has openly embraced a large family himself. He is reported to have at least 25 children in total, with many (around 23 according to sources) from previous relationships or marriages before his current union.

This includes children from an earlier long-term relationship, such as his ex-wife, Zinha (whom he divorced after 19 years, as depicted in the show, with no apparent bad blood).

While his upbringing and cultural context (Tsonga traditions) have included discussions of multiple partners—he has even joked on the show about taking a second wife—his current documented marriage is to Suzan, and he is generally presented as committed to her in recent years. His height is not publicly documented or consistently reported in biographies, profiles, interviews, or media coverage.

Net Worth

Penny Penny, the iconic South African musician and politician whose real name is Eric Kulani Giyani Nkovani, has built a substantial net worth through his pioneering career in Tsonga disco, long-running reality TV series, and recent entry into national politics.

His estimated net worth stands at approximately R20 million (around $1.1 million USD), reflecting earnings from multi-platinum album sales in the 1990s—including massive successes like Shaka Bundu and follow-ups that outsold it—along with ongoing revenue from music royalties, reissues (such as the 2013 international revival by Awesome Tapes From Africa), performances, and his starring role in Papa Penny Ahee on Mzansi Magic since 2017.

Additional income streams include his parliamentary salary and allowances as a Member of the National Assembly for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (elected in 2024), business ventures, such as his family-focused funeral cover initiative, and community development efforts, such as his mini-farm and foundation work.

Despite periods of lower mainstream visibility in the 2000s, his resilience, cultural legacy, and diversified pursuits have secured a comfortable financial standing, supporting his large family and his flamboyant lifestyle, as showcased on television.

Discography

Albums and Major Releases

• Shaka Bundu (1994) — his breakthrough debut album, double-platinum seller
• Yogo Yogo (1996) — triple-platinum success, often outsold his debut
• Makajanta Jive (also spelled Makanja Jive or Makanjta Jive, 1997–1998)
• La Phinda Ishangaane (also known as Laphinda Shangaan, 1997)
• Juri Juri (1998)
• Bum Bum (1999)
• Viyana Viyana (2000)
• The King of Tamakhwaya 1 (2001)
• The King of Tamakhwaya 2 (2002)
• The King vs the General (2009, collaboration with General Muzka)
• Silima Watolovela (2019)
• Makanja Jive (2019 reissue/compilation)
• Yogo Yogo (2020 reissue)
• Gana Gana (2023)
• Sesi Va Rosie (2023)

Additional releases include various singles, EPs (such as Under Adjustment 24-25 in 2024), and compilations/best-of collections featuring tracks like “Shichangani,” “Shibandza,” “Dance Khomela,” and others from his classic era.

Television Work

• Papa Penny Ahee (also known as Penny Ahee) — reality TV series on Mzansi Magic, starring since 2017 across multiple seasons (at least four documented seasons), focusing on his family life, music, and personality
• Judge on Clash of the Choirs

Political Career

• Local council member with the African National Congress (ANC) in earlier years
• Member of the National Assembly (Parliament) for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, elected in the 2024 South African general election and active since

What People Ask