The ‘son’ Tuku denied . . . drawing the bare contrast of the lives of Sam and Selby Mtukudzi
By Bruce Ndlovu
While the country collectively nursed the still fresh wound of Sam Mtukudzi on the eight-year anniversary of his death last week, fresh details emerged about the less than rosy life of Selby Mtukudzi, Tuku’s other alleged son with an unknown woman.
Fresh insights about Selby’s life arrived courtesy of the second edition of Tuku Backstage, the tell-all book from journalist and Tuku’s former publicist, Shepherd Mutamba.
The life lived by Selby, a Catholic priest turned keen alcohol imbiber, is in sharp contrast to that of Sam, a young man who seemed, before death intervened, destined to reach his full potential having grown up in his father’s cozy nest.
By all accounts, Sam seemed to have been his father’s favourite, showered with love and mentorship by one of Africa’s most prolific musicians. The seemingly unbreakable father-son bond was acknowledged even by Tuku himself in a conversation with Mutamba, a close confidante who now seemingly has no problem writing page after page about the intimate details of Tuku’s personal life.
“My friends are always complaining that they’ve got problems with their children but I was so close to my son. He knew me very well, as I did him. Some parents don’t know their sons because they don’t have relations with their children. He was just a good young man and I didn’t have problems with him. When he stepped out of line it was only one word and he was back doing the right thing,” he said.