Actress and media personality Linda Mtoba had viewers and even her close friend Sithelo Shozi completely fooled after she was unmasked as Lady Monster on The Masked Singer South Africa Season 3.
The beloved star, who has become one of South Africa’s most recognisable television personalities, kept her identity under wraps until the end of Saturday night’s episode, leaving the show’s panel of detectives – Somizi Mhlongo, J’Something, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba Hlophe – visibly shocked.
The episode introduced four new mystery characters to the competition: Lady Monster, Spotty, Mosquito and King Pie, who battled it out in a series of musical performances.
Lady Monster took to the stage with an energetic rendition of HUNTR/X’s Golden, impressing the audience while dropping a trail of clues that sent the detectives in completely different directions.
Her clue package hinted that she rose to fame in 2016, the same year Pokémon Go became a global craze, while other cryptic references suggested she trusts her instincts more than recipes and doesn’t believe in fictional superheroes because “real life already demands enough belief.”
Wrong predictions galore
The clues sparked plenty of debate. Somizi believed he had cracked the mystery early on, while Sithelo, despite being friends with Linda in real life, was convinced the masked celebrity was actress Mampho Brescia.
J’Something guessed performer Busiswa Gqulu, and Skhumba eventually settled on actress and singer Thembi Seete. Somizi later changed his prediction to actress Brenda Ngxoli. None of them came close.
After Lady Monster landed in the danger zone alongside Spotty, the audience and detective votes ultimately saved Spotty, meaning Lady Monster had to remove her mask.
The reveal left the panel speechless. Sithelo immediately recognised her friend, excitedly shouting: “It’s Beanie! Her daughter is Beanie!”, referring to Linda’s daughter, who fans know by her popular nickname.
Skhumba couldn’t resist teasing his fellow detective after Sithelo failed to recognise someone she knows personally, joking that the tables had turned after she laughed at him the previous week for missing comedian Trevor Gumbi’s identity.
Speaking to host Mpho Popps after her reveal, Linda admitted she was thrilled to have kept everyone guessing.
She also shared that her daughter, Beanie, is one of the show’s biggest fans and joked that she expects to be teased by her family for months after finally being unmasked.
Linda first won the hearts of South Africans when she landed her breakthrough role on Isibaya in 2016 and has since established herself as one of the country’s leading actresses, fashion personalities and television stars.
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- Linda Mtoba was revealed as Lady Monster on The Masked Singer South Africa Season 3, surprising both viewers and panelists, including her close friend Sithelo Shozi.
- Four new mystery contestants were introduced: Lady Monster, Spotty, Mosquito, and King Pie, with Lady Monster impressing with a rendition of HUNTR/X’s "Golden."
- Clues about Lady Monster misled panelists who guessed various celebrities, including Mampho Brescia, Busiswa Gqulu, and Thembi Seete, but none were correct.
- Lady Monster was unmasked after landing in the danger zone, with panelists and audience saving Spotty, leading to Linda’s reveal and fun reactions from the panel.
- Linda Mtoba, known since her 2016 breakthrough on "Isibaya," expressed joy at fooling everyone and expects playful teasing from her family, especially her daughter Beanie, a big fan of the show.
