By a Correspondent
Businessman Wicknell Chivayo has donated US$74,000 to the family of late music legend Oliver Mtukudzi to mark what would have been the musician’s 74th birthday.
Announcing the gesture on his official X account, Chivayo said the donation was a tribute to the enduring legacy of the iconic artist, affectionately known as Tuku.
“Today, the legendary Dr Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi would have turned 74 years old. Happy Heavenly Birthday to a true Zimbabwean icon whose music, wisdom and legacy will live forever,” wrote Chivayo.
He said that had Mtukudzi been alive, he would have personally handed him US$74,000 to mark the occasion.
“If he were still with us today, I know without doubt he would have called me and said, ‘Iwe Wicknell, ndi TUKU urikupiko nhasi ibirthday rangu hausi kuzviziva here?’ and wherever I was, I would definitely have driven straight to see him and given him US$74,000 cash to celebrate his 74th birthday,” he said.
Chivayo announced that Mtukudzi’s daughters, Selma, Sandra and Shamiso, would each receive US$15,000, while the remaining US$29,000 would go to the musician’s widow, Daisy Mtukudzi.
“So in his loving memory, Selma, Sandra and Shamiso will each receive US$15,000, and the remaining US$29,000 goes to Mama Daisy. That makes exactly US$74,000 for 74 years,” he wrote.
Chivayo said he was unable to join the family for the celebrations as he is currently in London, but urged them to continue preserving the late musician’s legacy.
“Some legends may leave this earth, but their music, their memories and the impact they made will never die,” said Chivayo.
Mtukudzi, who died in January 2019 aged 66, is widely regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s greatest musicians, with a career spanning more than four decades and a catalogue of music that continues to resonate across generations.
