LONDON — Superstar Oliver Mtukudzi paid tribute to his wife Daisy for standing by him for the last four decades of his music career, at a dinner held in his honour last week on Saturday at the Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel in London.
BY TIDI KWIDINI
The event that saw guests coming from as far as the United States and Germany to celebrate with Mtukudzi was organised by exclusive events specialists BlackTie Management.
In a speech to his wife Daisy, Mtukudzi asked her to marry him again.
“D (Daisy), I want to marry you again, will you marry me? You are such a wonderful person. I am not perfect, but you are always moulding me to be a better person. We have had our ups and downs, but I thank you for being brave,” Mtukudzi said.
“I thank you for blocking all the bad things that come my way. At times there are negative things said about me, and in most cases I know that they are not targeting me, but they are targeting you. However, you have chosen to be with me despite the negativity. God bless you.”
Paying tribute to his wife, Mtukudzi in one of the two question and answer segments, led by popular event host Soxx (Tim2Soxx) and former radio DJ Ezra “Tshisa” Sibanda, spoke about the longevity of his marriage, stating that he thought in order to be one, couples need to work together.
“In my case, I am a lucky guy to be where I am. I am not a genius. What you see or have seen is a product of a wonderful wife,” he said.
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In her response, Daisy said she was speechless.
“I do not have much to say, but that I love you. I will be with you until death do us part. Only God knows what sort of person you are. No matter whether things are going right, wrong, or people want to stir things up for us, they will never win because God is a protector,” she said.
The tribute gala celebrated Mtukudzi’s two key milestones, the release of his 65th album, Eheka Nhai Yahwe and what is the first part of his 65th birthday festivities, as well as recognising his service to music and philanthropic work worldwide.
Mtukudzi’s manager Sam Mataure expressed his gratitude to the event organisers and guests who attended.
“We are so humbled and looking forward to the various celebrations lined up in different parts of the world in the next few months, organised exclusively by Black Tie Management,” he said.
Black Tie Management events director, Zenzo Ncube said his team was thrilled to have hosted the exclusive event for one of the greatest musicians to come out of Zimbabwe.
“We would like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with Samanyanga. It was a fitting tribute for an exceptional man, whose wealth of experience and wisdom are sublime,” Ncube said.
Mtukudzi also echoed the same sentiments as he thanked guest who came, including the organisers who took the time to plan and host the event.
“Thank you to one and all and please keep up the good work. I would like to thank the organisers of the event. Do not do it just for me, let us do this for all our artistes. They need to be celebrated. You do not know how much this has meant to me to have had the audience and, just the gesture of celebrating my birthday. God bless you all,” he said.
At the event, guests were entertained by awarding-winning band the Green Arrows led by Aaron Manatsa, reggae musician Matty Julius, jazz singer Tendai Nelson and Shanky, who mesmerised the audience with the rendition of Mtukudzi’s popular song Neria.
Wordplay poet Muunya Usuwana also dedicated a special poem to the legend titled, How do you do it? while rising United Kingdom-based comedian Munashe brought the lighter side to the evening, with his comedic sketch.
The evening was also filled with several highlights from the guest of honour, with a special question and answer segment that afforded fans the opportunity to ask him questions.
The audience at home were also treated to an evening with Mtukudzi, courtesy of London-based broadcaster Zimbo Live TV, who broadcasted the event.
In a moving performance by Mtukudzi and his band, The Black Spirits, he performed several classics and at a point joined the crowd on the dance floor to share a highly entertaining dance with his wife.
