Born in 1993, Baninzi real name Sabelo Elias Mthethwa is a singer, songwriter and actor born in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. He is the first born of the four children and he grew up in a small village called Mandlankala. He started his musical journey when he joined a Sunday school Choir at a very young age.Later went on to sing in community groups. Growing up, Baninzi listened to a lot of Maskandi music, his late mom was a fan of Bhekumuzi Luthi and a Maskandi group called Ingane Zoma, so you will find some elements of Maskandi in his songs. After writing his Matric, he moved to Gauteng, Pretoria to pursue his dreams of being a professional Artist. During that time he studied Drama at Tshwane University of Technology specialising in Singing, voice and Media. He graduated in 2021 May. Baninzi's music is mainly inspired by real life stories and obstacles we sometimes have to deal with as Black South Africans. Sabelo speaks about all the struggles he has had to endure since he was a baby, he lost his father at the age of 12 which forced him to grow and persevere at an early stage. Life changed drastically for him, therefore music became the only pillow to cry on.