London(ZimEye)A UK journalist, Mkhululi Mpofu, was physically dragged out of the just ended Mtukudzi-Macheso show in Leicester after allegedly invading Oliver Mtukudzi’s dressing room with a ‘smuggled camera’, according to function promoters.
Mpofu who has not denied entering the back stage area where Mtukudzi was resting, has defended himself saying the attack was unprovoked and also added that in front of onlookers, he was choked, kicked and punched in what he described as a brutal assault he even thought he had died.
ZimEye is reliably informed that Oliver Mtukudzi told Mr Mpofu to approach the singer’s manager first in order to obtain authorisation for an interview. Promoters state that even after this, Mpofu continued to film despite another call for him to stop doing so which resulted in a promoter resorting to force him out of the premises.
After his accused was taken in by the police for questioning, Mpofu on his news website soon published an article titled “Journalist assaulted at Tuku UK show,” a story he personally wrote in which he detailed his alleged ordeal prompting among others, negative reactions on the social networking website Facebook with some people criticizing stating that he should prove injuries.
A black guy with black skin – “no bruises”
What has been difficult for Mpofu has been to prove that he actually was assaulted with severity alleged, and he told ZimEye that the policeman handling investigations did not take the matter seriously because the cop being of white origin failed to notice bruises on a black man’s skin pigment, according to Mpofu.
“I am a black guy with black skin. Bruises are not seen the same way they are seen on a white person…”, he said.
Filming without permission.
Both Mtukudzi’s manager and the promoter who is alleged to have attacked Mpofu have told ZimEye Mr Mpofu was wrong to have been filming the function without obtaining permission.
The promoter told ZimEye:
“I am told some silly story is written about me. Its actually embarassing that the person who accuses me of assaulting him, writes a story. I was getting phone calls from people telling me, we hear you are in police cells… Actually no charges were laid. You can even contact Leicester police because no charges were laid against me. So, I am actually offended because I work with Oliver and Ezra. We told this man it doesn’t matter if you are member of the press, please stop filming; and then the guy tells me: ‘do you know who I am?’, and I didn’t know who he is.
“There is copyright infringement, and if he goes on Youtube, and publishes online, that is (actually) copyright infringement, and then he accuses me of assaulting him, its actually a joke.
“He then ended up approaching me aggressively wanting his camera, saying he had paid money, and then that’s when he was removed from the venue,” he said.
A female friend of Mr Mpofu who was with him at the time has however given an almost contradictory version of events stating that Mpofu was singled out from a group, questioned, and then taken out, a claim which coincides with Mpofu’s who also said that his attack was part of a conspiracy because he did not publicise a co-promoter and so was now being targetted:
“…yeah they did single him out cause I too was filming and taking photos and so were a few other people. With **** yes … But apparently the fight was with someone else but I didn’t see it … Just heard it happened, ” she said.
Below was Mkhululi Mpofu short account of what transpired, which report has been disputed by both function organisers and Oliver Mtukudzi’s team:
“ONE of the promoters of the Oliver Mtukudzi and Alick Macheso United Kingdom tour has been arrested by British police in Leicester after he brutally attacked me during the show last night for no apparent reason.
I was attacked in full view of co-promoters who never tried to rescue me from the monster.
The overzealous promoter was immediately arrested by police in the early hours of Sunday morning at the venue of the show, Leicester’s Athena. He was detained overnight and is still wallowing in the police cells.
The heavy built and weight-lifting promoter is being held at Mansfield House Police station, Leicester.
Police said they will interview my assailant this morning and he is expected to be formerly charged. I am pressing charges of assault and theft of my camera. I have already presented a full statement to the police.
Trouble started while Tuku and Macheso entertained the excited crowd when the chubby promoter approached me and started attacking me with blows. He then dragged me out of the venue despite having paid to enter the venue and continued attacking me.
He confiscated The ZimDiaspora camera and footage was lost during the process. Some equipment was also damaged during the fracas.
In a completely unprovoked attack, he grabbed me by my throat, squeezing and kicking me at the same time. It was the most savage attack I have ever experienced in my life.
As several other media personnel were filming what is rumoured to be Tuku’s last world tour, the notorious promoter was busy body-punching and choking me. After being dragged outside by the collar, he pushed me into a secluded ditch, pressed me down and continued kicking, punching and choking me to the extent that I thought I would die.
As I struggled for my breath, I tried ringing the emergency services, he then grabbed my mobile phone and flung it across the street, smashing the iPhone into smatterings.
It was only after a loud scream that a passerby came to my rescue and the police were immediately called who subsequently arrested the vicious promoter.
It is unfortunate that while most of Zimbabwean shows in the UK are very peaceful there are some people who still think that it is their privilege as promoters to go about assaulting and duping fans as they wish.
The behaviour of the promoter is unwarranted and risk tarnishing the image of one of Africa’s greatest musicians Oliver Mtukudzi“.
32 Replies to “Journalist kicked out of Mtukudzi show”
Comments are closed.
I heard that lami @ Mubaybe. Child molesters and gays have same tendencies. Ezra has to grow up.
The promoter wanted to do mkhululi in the rear bt he refused so it led to beef…. He was seen puttn on a condom after mkhululi had fainted wth his trouser torn right by butt …
Tough luck.That happens .
Wakadini kudzorera? Mbwende
Mkhululi is a nice civilized guy who has managed to put behind primitive tribal divides a trait synonymous with poor twats who can scream at an ant to relieve their boredom.However,if what i heard personally is anything to go by then i think he was a bit overzealous but then you never know people are manipulative.Get over it and move on bro!!
That infected, child rapist masquarading as The Promoter, also known as Ezra Tshisa Sibanda enjoys controversy. One of these days, and soon, he will atone for all his misdeeds. God help me live to witness that day
Wants cheap publicity just like Mtwakazi or Imbovane yemasmthing smthing. Join Dabengwa and become useless.
Bladog aka Mickeymouse now I believe Cedric is right when he says you must be a victim of gay love hunger. There is nothing wrong with that because you are a product of gay marriage gone wrong i.e. producing a blinking idiot like you.
Now to the main story I would warn whoever cares to listen to know that Mkululi Mpofu is not knew to the controversy. None lies like he does when it comes to assaults. You remember last time he claimed that his uninvited Shona guest friend was threatened for eating rice and chicken in a Ndebele party where he was not invited. In his article he portrayed Ndebeles as people who fight over food and Shonas as very reasonable people when the known fact is that the opposite is true. You remember the Nigerian stories he wrote about assaults.
Mpofu Mukururi strikes me as an arogant and pompous guy who is however physically.
My advise to him is that the only way for him to stay out of trouble is for him and his friends to stop dancing as if they are invited guests (uGide’ ngan’ umenyiwe)so that other may not end up saying f… awumenywanga. Keep your hands off their shows, beer, women chicken and even ice bloks. I rest my case.
Apparently the real story was that Mathuthu was making moves on midget Crispen’s wife in full view of the fella.
Unfortunately noone had told him that in Bradford there is full of thugs, that short dude Crispen made Mathuthu’s life very difficult for a couple of minutes, I hear Mathuthu was hiding behind women 😆
Can someone who was in Leicester update us on full details here
Looks like this journalist & promoter know each other well and as suspected a woman is at the centre of this, although they both pretend its to do with a camera.
Unfortunately the journo got a nice beating and cried like a baby.
Most guys over here in diaspora have never exeprienced a serious beating till they grew into foul talkin adults, so it becomes a bit truamatic when they get their first good dust up as an adult in public.
next stop gymn
Don’t worry Mkhululi. Ezra Tshisa Sibanda does not like attention taken away from him. Chances are that was your biggest crime. Then you will always get websites like this one that literary worship the ground he walks on, they will go out of their way to make you look stupid and their Ezra a demi-god. Karma is a bitch, you will have the last laugh on this.
Got wat u deserved!
You see, the likes of Mpofu (and Makoni) are those people who writes evil about Zimbabwe, representing the mdc and trying to have their stay in the UK authenticated by their daily lies. How black is Mpofu, to even cover bruises? Very stupid and silly indeed, just like his young brother Nakedog, his uncle Dabengay, his gay mates Bhirigaydog, Jumpdog, Tsvangay, Gaydog, Cedricat, and Gaynor. If it was me, l would have stripped you off a couple of ribs with a single blow, rubbish! Raamai vako Mpofu!
Mpofu a man like you, why should you bother yourself to speak with facked outdated people like Oliver
Wakakaura.
let Mpofu go back to nursing…are he was equally a disaster there ethically.. now journalism is proving tougher…better go back home and work for Jonathan Moyo
Kikikikikiki maShona look at your frail Oliver Tukudi n look at our MTHWAKAZIAN guy he’s health n fit. Mkhululi next time don’t waste your time trying to interview maShona HIV infected animals thus how they react ARVs n stress in their genes=violence
Better to do ryt thing at ryt time why demoralising the majority who had buttered their happinesses stupid Mpofu
So stupid mpofu typical foolish ndebele
Nhaiwe makoni Kurova munhu kusvika pakadaro papi, wakanga uripo here hausikuona kuti kanenge katsotsi here kablaz ako??
zvine basa rei zvekuti apinda mudressing room,why kurova munhu kusvika pakadaro
this guy is nuts he is sturborn very sturborn just like his for fathers kings lobe who sold this country to white people. He deserve to be kicked or dead
Mandevere, Mthwakazi musoro unodziya!
Comrade Naked, you shld be ashamed of yourself. There are many people who are taking ARVs not becoz they like. I thought u wld support those people who are living positively with the deadly HIV virus. I hope you are the one who tested Mr Oliver Mtukudzi and found that he is HIV+ and put him on treatment. Shameless person, I wldnt request God to KILL you in an accident not to contract HIV.
mkhululi you invited this for yrself no crying foul here, you lost yr journalistic ethics, u derseve wat you got. go back to the drawing board and refresh the ethics, being a journalist does not give u the right to envade other peoples privacy, u re not above above the laws and neither does u enjoy 100% freedom to enfringe someone rights. remember jounalism is a business that is done by someone to make profit and earn a living, so whose interest are u representing if u just bunch into somebody life breaking yr own business ethics.
u ought to be clever next time.
It shows mpofu is a fake jounalist or something.Vanhu ava vanongoirasa kwese kwavanoenda.kuSA vanobaya nemapanga kuUK vanoda kutora maphoto by ginya.Tsvatu waro.
Poor Ndex seeking cheap publicity. KI!KI!KI!KI!KI! Buyela ikhaya uyethengisa amangcimbi.
Stupid mpofu, only if i was there yu would have regreted yo actions.
Oh I see,so if you are drinking ARVs that’s tantamount to a ticket for abuse,Naked no one could have described you better than yourself,wakam@ma pfungwa ukasiya duzv1 mumusoro that’s why you call yourself Nakedhead.
Ndiwe wakazvikanyira wega. Nyaya yako yekuzviedza gamba. U r stubborn and u got wat u deserved.
A simple instruction, stop filming without being given the authority to do so. Sturborn as a Donkey Fuseki!!!
Don’t worry Mkhululi this Mthukudzi is …..DELETED….