Eric Kulani Giyani Nkovani, better known as Penny Penny and Papa Penny, and born in 1962 in South Africa, is a musician and politician. In 1994, he released his debut album Shaka Bundu. The album featured the Tsonga (or Shangaan) disco sound and sold 250,000 copies in South Africa, with songs recorded in the Tsonga language or more specifically its Limpopo-region dialect Xihlanganu. After recording several albums including La Phinda Ishangaane (1997) and Makanjta Jive (1997), he later drifted into obscurity as South African music trends evolved. In 2013, his debut album was re-released worldwide by Awesome Tapes from Africa, reigniting his musical popularity in clubs across Los Angeles. Penny has also ventured into politics and television; he was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in 2024 as a member representing UMkhonto we Sizwe.
