‘The Masked singer’: Slick singing sensation Banana’s identity bowls Mzansi over

Mzansi audiences have become completely invested in SA’s first The Masked Singer television reality show. The Groove has been pushed aside by many as they are glued to their television screens on Saturday evenings to solve the riddle of the voice behind the mask.

For those who are not familiar with the show, celebrated personalities and entertainment superstars sing well-known songs while bejewelled in full-body costumes and masks, to hide their identities.

The flamboyant costumes and masks have personalities of their own, offering clues about who they are to the audience and panel of celebrity detectives who have to solve the riddle and unmask the singer.

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Banana’s mask peeled off on The Masked Singer

The voice behind the Banana mask had everyone fooled with his soothing, big vocal pipes and obscure clues.

Banana’s rendition of It’s Amazing by Luther Vandross left the audiences swooning, but Fox and Robot outperformed him, sending him to the danger zone.

Detectives J’Something, Somizi, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba had to lock in their final guesses about who they thought the voice behind the mask was.

J’Something went with DJ Fresh, Somizi and Sithelo with Sello Maake KaNcube, and Skhumba remained sold on Zakes Bantwini.

The detectives, audience and viewers at home were left floored when Banana peeled off his mask to reveal the face of Bongani Bingwa, the host of the Breakfast Show on 702.

The experienced investigative journalist, who was previously a presenter and journalist on Carte Blanche truly left the celebrity detectives baffled with his clues.

The clue that he let slip: “one could call him the undertaker because he has had his fair share of digging in the graveyard” had J’Something believing that he must be a radio presenter working the midnight shift.

Banana’s headphones threw Somizi even further off the scent, who believed that they were dealing with a DJ who mixes music late at night. His guesses were Oscar Mbo or DJ Cleo.

Sithelo, on the other hand, believed that only a theatre performer could project a voice like that, and said it was Sello Maake KaNcube behind the mask, while Skumba was convinced it was Grammy winner Zakes Bantwini.

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Bongani’s experience as Banana

In a statement released on Saturday evening, Bongani raved about the secrecy involved in The Masked Singer.

“Just the idea of being picked up by a car, being covered so that nobody could see me, and when arriving somebody is saying, ‘Banana on the move. Banana on the move.’ – it was quite like something I had never experienced before,” he said.

Who still needs to be unmasked?

With Hippo, Rooster, Soccerman, and Banana being unmasked, Tree, Elephant, Warrior, Hippo, Watermelon, Sunflower, Doughnut, Lollipop, Rhino, Robot, Fox, and Lion will return for the next round.

The Masked Singer South Africa is screened on Saturdays at 18:30 on SABC 3 and 20:00 on SABC 1. You can also catch the repeat on SABC 1 on Thursdays at 21:00.

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