Celebrated South African performer, activist and songwriter, Simphiwe Dana, celebrate 20 Years in Song this June with performances in Cape Town

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It’s been 20 years since songwriter, singer and social activist, Simphiwe Dana, touched our souls with her debut album, Zandisile. If you find that hard to believe, so does the multi award-winning singer and songwriter. She points to her vocal evolution as tangible proof of her growth over the past two decades.

To commemorate her 20 year-anniversary on the SA music scene, Dana will be exploring the many amazing songs from her repertoire in her upcoming celebration of her career at the Baxter Theatre Concert Hall, Cape Town on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 June 2025. This show will be an opportunity for Dana to explore the various textures of her work to date: an intuitive, multi-layered effort from a mature artist at the top of her creative powers.

“Being consistent with anything for 20 years is a celebration and the success achieved on this journey, is a celebration, too. The celebration of Simphiwe Dana’s 20-year career comes at the tail-end of a tumultuous era in my life, but it’s still a nice thing to point at as something to celebrate. Fulfilment is not the right word, but it’s the best word I can think of right now. I feel this really grounded sense of accomplishment,” says Simphiwe.

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Credited for creating some of the most thought-provoking songs of her generation, Dana continues to uphold the standard for singer/songwriters as a messenger for love, hope, compassionate humanitarianism and socio-political awareness. She will showcase songs from all her albums, sharing their compelling narratives as she continues to expand the canvas of her spiritual and lifestyle mission as such an in-demand performer and speaker in the social space.

“I knew I was something different for the industry, I knew I looked different, I sounded different and the songs I wanted to sing were different,” she says. “I thought I was telling people, ‘Make way, something different is coming,’ but in hindsight, I was telling all of our stories about what it means to affirm yourself because the world will always tell you that you’re supposed to be something different.”

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Simphiwe Dana will be on stage with 10 musicians to support her as she takes us on memory lane. We invite the Cape Town audience and other Dana supporters in South Africa to this auspicious event to celebrate one of South Africa’s revered artists.