Daisy Mtukudzi

• Samantha Mtukudzi
• Sam Mtukudzi^[2]

Daisy has a daughter named Faith Kadzura from a previous relationship.^[3]

Marriage To Oliver Mtukudzi

Daisy started seeing Oliver Mtukudzi whilst he was still married to his first wife Melody Murape. Oliver Mtukudzi paid lobola for her whilst he was still married to Murape.^[2]

Marital Problems

In a book titled Tuku Backstage written by Oliver Mtukudzi's former publicist and veteran journalist, Shepherd Mutambashe, Daisy revealed that she wanted to shoot Mtukudzi after he denied paternity of an alleged secret son named Selby Mtukudzi. She also revealed that they divorced for one year.

The extract from the chapter Wife Daisy reads:

"When it comes to Tuku’s secret children, I was never told about Sybil. Nobody told me about her. Men have these promiscuous relationships in private.

I think Sybil’s mother worked in a hair salon in Harare and met Tuku in Mazowe where he was performing. A cousin sister, who lived in Mazowe, said she understood there was a child thought to be Tuku’s daughter living in Mazowe.

When I asked Tuku about it, he first denied any knowledge of Sybil.

(Sam, Tuku’s son with Daisy was born in 1988 and Sybil in 1989).

Tuku had a fight with Sybil’s mother, at Skyline Motel, (located south of Harare but now defunct) and his shirt was torn and he hid it for a long time.

One day, I saw the shirt and asked why it was torn and he said ‘aaah…I wanted to throw it away and I wanted to tell you but I was afraid’. He said he had been in a fight with a woman who had phoned me earlier, claiming to be his girlfriend and the case was being handled by police.

Anonymous women phoned me all the time (claiming to be Tuku’s girlfriends). All my life, I have been getting such calls up to this day (2013). I heard that the woman died. Tuku said Sybil’s mother had insisted that Sybil was his child and he was thinking of taking her in to live in Highfield (in Harare) at Tuku’s childhood home.

Sybil was the only child, outside wedlock, that Tuku admitted paternity and he went to my uncles and said he would do anything for me for the sake of Sybil, now that Sybil’s mother had died. And he bought me a BMW, to say sorry, for having Sybil outside wedlock. It was then that I accepted Sybil in the family.

When Sam died (2010), I then heard about another child called Selby. Tuku akatsika madziro akati haamuzive (Tuku vehemently denied paternity). He said he would have told me if Selby was his son.

I asked him how Selby got birth registration in his name (Tuku’s name) and he said he didn’t know.

Whether Selby is Tuku’s son or not, I don’t know. If Tuku is denying the issue, what can I do?

Sometimes I get tired of these issues, about the women and I told Tuku that we no longer have young children and he is free to go and live with the women who think they are important to him. Of course, we have been together for 32 years, 31 if I remove the year we had problems and divorced.

But there are times when I feel tired. I will die in the midst of these problems. I didn’t have hypertension, now I am sick because of these problems. Tuku knows that I am strict but I love him and he respects me although he does some things.

People think I am cheeky, I don’t know about that. But sometimes I get angry.

I am forthright, I speak my mind. But Tuku hides too many things in his heart and I am sure that makes him sick.

I wanted to shoot Tuku. I have a firearm. I don’t like people who twist me and lie to me.

He drove me into a corner. When Sam died, that is when I wanted to do it (shooting Tuku). (As the incident unfolded, Tuku, fearing for his life, bolted from his home as Daisy advanced, only returning after solid assurance by family members that his raging wife had been contained.)

Yes, things can be sorted out, after a fracas, but then you will know that you are living together with a liar.

You must learn to tell the truth. You must not deny what you know. I think someone who tells the truth is a better person. You must not deny having a love child."

^[4]

Inheritance

Despite Oliver Mtukudzi bequeathing all his properties and companies to her according to a one-page Will and Testament^[1], Daisy revealed in August 2021 that she was struggling. Daisy Mtukudzi went on to say that Oliver Mtukudzi did not leave her any money. She said:

"Tuku did not leave any money for me. Many people think he left a lot of money but he did not. I have no money. I am failing to complete the execution of his estate because I have no money. Tuku himself did not have money. Ask those who know him, he would facilitate deals for others, he would host youngsters and help them but he would not give them money. He just did not have money."

^[5]

An inventory of what Mtukudzi left behind, lodged with the High Court by Daisy, indicated he had a shared property with Samantha bought in 2003; a property bought by Tuku Music Promotions in 2007; a property owned jointly with Daisy Mtukudzi registered with deeds office in 2008; a farm in Mazowe; four vehicles and a trailer as well as an undisclosed sum of money held in an FBC account.^[1]

Music Career

In 2017, Daisy made a cameo appearance at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa).

She performed on the ZOL main stage to join her husband for the performance of Haasi Masanga during the Tuku and Friends concert where Winky D, Mono Mukundu and Tariro neGitare also performed. Her debut stage performance was criticised by The Chronicle as a disaster after she sang off-key. After her performance with Oliver, Daisy Mtukudzi went on to talk backstage while the microphone was still on. Her conversation with keyboardist Munya Viyali could be heard while her husband haplessly looked at her, but kept his cool as he played the next song.

Daisy and Oliver Mtukudzi collaborated on the song Haasi Masanga off the album Eheka! Nhai Yahwe The song released in 2016 was their first collaboration since they got married.

In an interview with The Herald after the collaboration, Daisy explained that she had no intention to venture into music but did so after her husband insisted that she collaborates with him. She said:

"He (Mtukudzi) told me that he wanted me to add my voice on one of the songs he’d written with me in mind. I didn’t want to. But, one evening he just came and said ‘let’s go’. I love television so much so I was very upset. He showed me what he’d written and I asked ‘saka moda kuti ndiite sei’ (so what do you want me to do)? to which he replied ‘imba’ (sing). So I sang and he encouraged me. He told me to do it with confidence and it started making sense. The following day we came back and after three days, I got it right. It’s not easy but I must admit, I’ve an ear for good and bad music."

^[6]

Robbery

In 2014, Daisy Mtukudzi lost US$1 500, a mobile phone and other valuables when robbers smashed the window of a car she was driving and snatched her handbag on Tuesday 4 February 2014. The incident took place at the corner of Masotsha Ndlovu Way and Simon Mazorodze Road in Waterfalls, Harare.

She was on her way from a marriage ceremony for Alick Macheso’s daughter, Sharon, in Waterfalls. ^[7]

References