Ayesha Nyanzunda
The late Oliver Mtukudzi daughters Sandra and Selmor have opened up about their upbringing, family dynamics, relations with their stepmother Daisy Mtukudzi, and drama at Pakare Paye Arts Center.
In a no-holds-barred conversation on the Ollah 7 podcast, this afternoon Sandra and Selmor explained why they had an emotional breakdown during the Oliver Mtukudzi International Festival held at Pakare Payer Arts Center last weekend.
While responding to a question from Dj Ollah 7, Selmor said last weekend was her first time setting foot at the arts center after the death of her father in 2019.
“I was excited to be on that stage because that was the first time setting my foot at that place, ,on that particular stage since my dad died. So, when I arrived, getting in and seeing my old man’s office close, it brought back all the memories,” Selmor explained her reason for failing to perform.
Selmor, who was initially excluded from the official lineup, was only sent an invitation to perform at the festival, which is meant to celebrate her father’s legacy after a public outcry on social media. According to Selmor, the event organisers claimed they were unable to pay her. However, she claims she has never charged for her to do anything at Pakare Paye.
“The only request I made was for Sandra to be there, and the organisers said they do not have money. A team member at Pakare Paye had to fork our money from his pocket for Sandra’s plane ticket,’ she added. Rubbishing claims that their father’s widow, Daisy, had paid for Sandra’s plane ticket.
In the interview, Sandra, who is Selmor’s elder sister and Mtukudzi’s firstborn, said when her father created Pakare Paye Arts Center, his vision was for his children to run the place as they are all differently gifted.
“Ndiri kuda kuti imimi vana vangu ndimimuchange muchi runner, uyo achiita icho uyo achiita icho because ndoziva mese muri strong in different areas,” are the words Sandra was told by her father before Pakare Paye was even built.
Currently, Pakare Paye Arts Center is being run by Mtukudzi’s widow, Daisy, and her daughter Samantha.
When I asked about their relationship with their father before he passed on, they said it was good, but they had to see him and communicate with him in secret so that their stepmother would not know.in fact, the music legend Mtukudzi was planning to do a song with all his children telling the story of their family two days before he passed on.
During the podcast, Sandra shares how she suffered at the hands of Daisy Mtukudzi to the extent that at some point she got sadza from the dog’s pot, while the rest of the family ate rice. At one point, while she was 17, Sandra was left to fend for herself in Kwekwe after her father and the rest of the family moved to Norton.
The emotional interview also reveals how the two got to know about their father’s death through social media. Besides the blood flowing in their veins, Selmor inherited a track bottom,, while Sandra got her father’s hat from his inheritance.