Shepherd Mutamba ‘TUKU Backstage’ a gross violation of Oliver Mtukudzi’s rights

By Don Chigumba

From my ordinary level science background, the scientists educated us about animal and plant parasites. This piece seeks to expose the emergence of a ‘human parasite’ in the form of Shepherd Mutamba feeding on human (Oliver Mtukudzi’s) blood. 

There is no doubt that Mutamba has adopted the role of a gobbling (Tokoloshi), now feeding (earning a living) from assassinating the image/personality of Tuku.

I am therefore encouraging Tuku to look for Tsikamutandas to resolve the matter or opt for the courts of law because there is evidence in this piece to support the view that Mutamba did not only violate research ethics but also the media laws of Zimbabwe.

It is not a crime to write a biography of anyone without consent and therefore, Mutamba was not wrong by writing ‘TUKU Backstage’ without consent from Oliver Mtukudzi. However, it is a crime to violate research ethics governing the writing of biographies and the media laws (a position which I have demonstrated in this piece).

As I told you before, I am a competent mixed methods research specialist and an expert in research ethics. Mutamba used a research design popularly known as biography to write his book ‘TUKU Backstage’.

Biography is among the BIG FIVE qualitative traditions which include ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory and case study. Biography is always twofold, the first kind of biography is the one written by a person about him or herself and is sometimes called auto-biography. Morgan Tsvangirai and Barrack Obama wrote auto-biographies about themselves.

The second type of biography is the one written on/about someone by another person just like what Mutamba did on Oliver Mtukudzi. It is sometimes called biographic studies and good because of its objectivity (Creswell, 2012).

Auto-biographies are said to be subjective because it is difficult for one to write his or her bad side of the story. This is testified by Tsvangirai and Obama biographies, they never wrote anything bad about themselves.

Shepherd Mutamba violated several research ethics when writing ‘TUKU Backstage’. First, there is enough evidence to suggest that Mutamba played a role of a spy.

According to the dictates of research ethics, spying is not allowed and can affect the credibility of the outcome of Mutamba’s book. Mutamba worked for Mtukudzi for a period of five years and his role was to gather information behind Tuku’s back while pretending to be a loyal worker. There is no doubt that Mutamba played a role of a spy, he knew what he was doing but today, ‘zvake zvaita’.

The public should therefore be advised to treat Mutamba as a spy and therefore, they should question the credibility of his work because Mutamba is just a gold-digger trying to make a living out of TUKU’s personality. This man Mutamba should be demonized academically and traditionally as well.

University students should take his book as a very good example of ethics violation ever happened since the ‘Syphilis Tuskegee Study’.

According to the publication on Nehanda Radio, Mutamba claimed that the second edition of ‘TUKU Backstage’ has 188 photographs, with most of them being new  and never seen and published before.

This will lead us to the next violation of the research ethics, no one is allowed to publish photos of someone without consent. Mutamba should tell us whether Mtukudzi allowed him to published those photographs that he claimed were never seen before. Even the Zimbabwe media law support this ethic and Mtukudzi may use this as a basis to sue Mutamba.

There is no doubt that the privacy of Oliver Mtukudzi have been violated by publishing new photographs never seen before and Mutamba should explain. In conducting research, privacy of individuals should be protected, a position which Mutamba failed to do. He was supposed to protect the privacy of his subject and this may become a basis of suing Mutamba.

The main theme of ‘TUKU Backstage’ 2nd edition is that, Tuku was a puppet of ZANU PF and Mugabes, a position now overtaken by events. Tuku has a right to follow any political direction. 

What Shepherd Mutamba did to Oliver Mtukudzi was not morally acceptable and he should apologize to Tuku and family as well as to researchers because no one is allowed to violate research ethics.

Miguna Miguna tried to write the same by writing via biographic design against Raila Odinga a prominent opposition leader of Kenya but the book died a natural death. Shepherd Mutamba should have learned from Miguna Miguna.

I therefore declare Mutamba’s book ‘TUKU Backstage’ NULL and VOID in the name of Jesus.  Shepherd Mutamba should learn to struggle for his survival and not to suck other people’s blood.

Conclusion

When Judas Iscariot observed that he had betrayed Jesus, he committed suicide and I won’t be worried or shocked to hear that Shepherd Mutamba has committed suicide too. The researchers like Mutamba should avoid conducting researches in people’s bedrooms.

Don Chigumba is a mixed methods research specialist based in South Africa