Detective panel catches Devi Sankaree Govender in the act on ‘The Masked Singer SA’

South Africans know award-winning journalist Devi Sankaree Govender for her hardhitting investigative work, keeping TV viewers engaged with thrilling undercover operations.

But who would have imagined that Devi would one day hide in a Watermelon costume, trying to avoid detection by a group of curious detectives?

Devi was unmasked as part of the fun-filled mystery singing contest, The Masked Singer South Africa, where celebrities perform in disguise and are eventually revealed.

Devi’s ‘Watermelon Character’ stumps the detectives

Devi’s Watermelon character was a tough puzzle for the detectives, but after her third performance, three out of four guessed it right.

Despite six famous stars getting voted out, Devi made it to the final ten, keeping her identity hidden.

In a new twist, five masked characters returned, while five others will compete in the next episode. The character with the fewest votes in each group of five will have to reveal themselves.

Devi’s Watermelon competed against Sunflower, Tree, Elephant, and Rhino.

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Watermelon’s intriguing performance and clues

Watermelon’s lively performance as a “Dancing Queen” to an Abba song caught the attention of the detective panel, including J’Something, Somizi Mhlongo, Sithelo Shozi, and Skhumba Hlophe.

Clues in Watermelon’s package hinted at her involvement in crime scenes and her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Skhumba connected the performance to former Miss South Africa Kerishnie Naicker. In a new twist, each masked celebrity had to choose an item for additional clues, and Watermelon chose a Miss South Africa sash, confirming Skhumba’s guess.

However, J’Something cautioned that Watermelon’s explanation suggested that the meaning of the item could be subjective.

Detectives make final guesses for Watermelon’s identity

At this point, J’Something speculated that Lerato Mbele could be the person behind the Watermelon mask due to her role as a news anchor with international connections. Somizi suggested Devi, while Sithelo shozi pointed towards journalist Iman Rappetti.

When the votes were tallied, Watermelon appeared disheartened by her fate.

As per the usual format, the detectives had the opportunity to make their final guesses. J’Something initially believed Watermelon could be chef Kamini Pather when they first met at the start of the series.

This week, he leaned towards Lerato. However, in a previous episode, he was convinced it was someone who had served as a guest judge on his other television show, My Kitchen Rules, namely Devi.

Somizi concurred with J’Something’s Lerato theory, and Sithelo recalled her earlier prediction of Devi. On the other hand, Skhumba remained steadfast in associating “that sash thing” with Kerishnie Naicker.

Surprise revelation and reflection

Except for Skhumba, the detective panel successfully solved the mystery together and discovered that Devi was the one behind the mask.

The show’s host, Mpho Popps, was also surprised as he had appeared on Devi’s TV show before and she had kept her involvement in The Masked Singer a secret.

Devi expressed that her experience on The Masked Singer South Africa was amazing. She wanted to show people that everyone has different sides to their personality, even though they may perceive her as intense and serious on her own show.

One thing that puzzled Devi was why she, being the smallest person, had the largest and heaviest mask. Skhumba suggested that she should return to investigate this matter further.

Devi explained that the sash that fooled Skhumba was related to her role as a judge in Miss SA last year. The clue about Michael Jordan referred to her daughter, who is a golfer studying at the University of North Carolina.

Tune in and join the guessing game

The Masked Singer South Africa airs on SABC3 on Saturdays at 18:30 and on SABC1 at 20:00, with a repeat on SABC1 on Thursdays at 21:00. Join the guessing game on Twitter using the hashtag #MaskedSingerSA.

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