TV personality Unathi Nkayi will not be returning to SA Idols season 18 due to her Kaya 959 scandal. The singing competition will return next Sunday (23 January).
Sources close to the production allegedly revealed that Unathi’s exit will coincide with the dramatic return of Somizi Mhlongo who was let go in season 17.
Idols SA and M-Net recently met to discuss the fate of the show, which has been heavily affected by Unathi and Somizi’s scandals.
The source stated:
“Somizi has been given the green light because he is obviously the life of the show and there was a huge difference when he was not on the show, in terms of declining viewership. So he will be making a return this season after he was given a break last year to sort out his personal issues.”
Though Mhlongo denied the allegations he was also taken off air from Metro FM and no longer represented Bathu sneaker brand.
“People called for Somizi to be cancelled after those allegations by Mohale, but somehow he remains undefeated. He is coming back and now his number one rival on the show is going out. That should show you how powerful that guy is in the industry,” the source said.
Somizi’s colleague Unathi Nkayi also trended in November when Kaya 959 confirmed that she’d been fired from the station following a verbal altercation with Sizwe Dhlomo.
She allegedly filed a false report against Sizwe and gave details of the incident that were allegedly inaccurate and proven so by audio evidence.
“Idols gave Somizi a break based on allegations of gender-based violence, and Unathi was entangled in the allegations that she made against Sizwe which were found to be false. So she now has to be given a break from the show.”
