The Sunday Mail
Garikai Mazara – Leisure Editor
When Sam Mtukudzi died in that horrible accident in the early hours of March 15 2010, the father – Oliver Mtukudzi – mourned saying “death had robbed him of his only son”.
Though the circumstances were tragic, we felt he had lied to the nation, that Sam was his only son.
For we knew otherwise, as did a fair share of his close associates, of the existence of a young man called Selby, then stationed at a seminary in the capital.
We tracked down Selby and his mother, and when we sought comment from Mtukudzi, in typical fashion he was not forthcoming.
What shocked many was the zest that Shepherd Mutamba, then part of Mtukudzi’s PR team, showed in spearheading a campaign to have The Sunday Mail gagged on this issue.
So it was with little surprise that we were turned away from the Sam Mtukudzi memorial service at Pakare Paye in Norton.
And Mutamba did not stop there: he went to just about every political office in the land with letters that portrayed us as monsters out to devour Mtukudzi. He must have succeeded a bit in managing to have us gagged – for soon we found the Mtukudzi territory unnavigable.
Little did we know then, that he had ulterior motives, that the truth that he was barring us from unearthing, he was preserving for his “biography” – authorised or otherwise.
From around 2010 and until recently, the relationship between The Sunday Mail in general, and me in particular, with Oliver Mtukudzi has been far from cosy.
I have not been able to attend any of his live performances, and of the few times that I decided to do so, it was with a hooded face. I couldn’t leave anything to chance, especially given the manner in which Mutamba had tried to manhandle me and Mtandazo Dube during the memorial service.
And for some time no one seemed to care that Mutamba had left Mtukudzi’s employ. Until he shocked the nation with his biography of Tuku, which Mtukudzi has dismissed as unauthorised.
It is not for us to declare the book official or not. The world over, books get written – with or without approval.
What has not missed our attention, and probably that of many others, is that very few – if any – people have left Mtukudzi’s employ in amicable circumstances in the past 15 years.
But what incensed us, shocked us, riled us, irked us, is that the same issues that we sought to clarify with Mtukudzi back in 2010, the same issues that Mutamba wrote to every other office in the land seeking to silence us over, are the same issues that form the core of his book today. In a big way, we have been vindicated. We have always stood for the truth and at no given moment were we wont to destroy any personality. These are values that we cherish in our everyday pursuance of the truth.
Since The Sunday Mail broke the story of Mtukudzi having bedded the late Mwendakanyi Chibindi, who was one of his backing vocalists, there has always been a perception that we are out to destroy the person and character of the music legend called Tuku.
This theory has been favoured by his fans who have found it difficult to reconcile his musical brilliance with his misdeeds, forgetting in the process that – as he himself points out – he is human and fallible. When Samantha eloped with Tinashe Nengomasha and The Sunday Mail covered that, it was seen as part of the sinister plot to paint him with the blackest of brushes. Ditto when he failed to pay for that birthday cake, no one could believe us. It was all because “The Sunday Mail has never seen anything that Mtukudzi does good”.
And when he mourned his “only son” and we sought to correct him, all hell broke loose. Now that Mutamba has taken the bull by the horns, he might as well go on and show us all the warts in the Mtukudzi family. Probably the first and foremost question that he has to answer in his book is if Mtukudzi knows his HIV status (we do not believe there is – or should be – stigma associated with this!).
Why HIV? Because Mwendakanyi in her diaries, which we had sight of back then, explicitly narrates of the many sexual encounters that the two had – and her eventually being diagnosed of herpes and subsequently the “virus”.
Why HIV? Because Mtukudzi is a long-standing ambassador and advocate of HIV and Aids-related issues. And the sooner he lets the nation know of his status – not that he has any obligation to, but given the circumstances, it would help us understand and respect him – the better. Then there is the little issue of Daisy Mtukudzi. We feel part of the reason why we were gagged is because of her.
So it would not harm us, or her, if Mutamba – having been part of the inner circle – is to tell us more about Daisy. Like that she brought someone else’s child to the marriage. Maybe Mutamba could help settle all the rumours that we have heard about her, from her days in Kwekwe before she met Mtukudzi and if it is true that the Mtukudzi family did not readily accept her.
And, of course, her relationship with Sandra and Selmor, the two girls that Mtukudzi bore with Melody. I know Sandra and Selmor are bitter — and probably don’t see eye-to-eye with their father.
This is all speculation that we hope Mutamba will explore for us, seeing as he barred the media from doing its job all these years but sees it fit to write the story himself. Then there are stories galore about Mtukudzi bedding band members, be they alive today or dead, be they married today or not. That would be interesting indeed.
Some of us have had the chance to read the serialisation of the “biography” and knowing how fine a writer Mutamba is, we hope some of the errors we saw now will not be in the final and full edition. For how can a veteran like Mutamba call Mtukudzi a “circular” (secular) musician? And for the book to be taken as authoritative, that there are no sour grapes, it has to show us – in greater detail – the fine musician that the world has come to love and admire. For that is what we know Mtukudzi mostly for, his music.
Any writing on Mtukudzi is bound to be a good read any time of the year, and we can only pray that Mutamba’s book is as accurate as possible, that the truth will be revealed: the truth that we sought and were barred from.
Rina manyanga hariputirwi. The more virtuous amongst us would speak of the truth setting one free. Yes, it does.
Mtukudzi’s Open Letter: ‘MUTAMBA BETRAYED ME’
I have been reading with great dismay the excerpts from a so-called biography of me by Shepherd Mutamba who used to work with Tuku Music as a documenter for our website and other publicity materials.
About two years ago Mutamba came to me and told me that while he was working for us he had been simultaneously writing a “biography” about me, and wanted to publish it.
I was taken aback as he had never mentioned this to me before, but I said to him that if he was going to publish a book based on intimate information he had acquired while working with us, some of which he had acquired in confidence, during conversations with members of my family and team, he needed to give it to me to read first.
He agreed to this and said he would bring the manuscript to me when it was ready.
Shortly afterwards he started becoming more and more distant and then announced to us that he wanted to take a year “sabbatical” to study and write exams. We agreed happily and that was the last we saw of him. We invited him to several Tuku Music events, including our Tribute dinner at the Rainbow Towers last year but he did not respond.
Then two weeks ago I started reading with utter amazement the excerpts from his “biography” that the Daily News started to print. I felt betrayed by a man I had trusted so much and brought into my inner circle. As a man, I am not perfect. I have my strengths and weaknesses, like anyone else, but why would anyone write a book, which from what I have read so far has so many made-up “facts”, half-truths and false interpretations of my life? Why would someone who was warmly welcomed into our camp and treated with great respect want to pull me down like this?
To make matters worse, he claims the book was published with my full approval, which is not true.
Everything about the book that I have seen so far is an attack on me. Nothing positive at all. Is that Mutamba’s summary of who I am as a man? You can imagine the distress that this has caused my family. If he wanted to pull me down, why attack my family too?
Our conclusion so far is that Mutamba is simply trying to generate sales for his book using a sensationalised form of journalism that is best suited for tabloids.
We are currently consulting with our lawyers on the action to take but we are moving on with our vision as Tuku Music and won’t let these recent developments slow us down.
I would like to thank everyone who has sent in messages of support and solidarity during this time. Thank you. Other biographies will be written and may history judge us all fairly.
Oliver Mtukudzi
September 14, 2014
