Ramaphosa pays tribute to legendary photographer Dr Peter Magubane

President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to renowned veteran photographer and anti-apartheid activist Dr Peter Magubane who captured the plight of black South Africans.

Magubane, who chronicled decades of violence during the country’s apartheid era including the Soweto student uprising of 1976, died peacefully at his home on Monday aged 91.

Magubane also became the official photographer of Nelson Mandela when the anti-apartheid leader was released from prison in 1990 and until he became president four years later.

Freedom

Ramaphosa said he was saddened by the passing of Magubane.

“On behalf of government and the nation, I offer my deep condolences to the Magubane family, our veteran’s friends and his countless associates around the country and globally.

“For most of his life, Peter Magubane created iconic visual records of our struggle for freedom and of the full range of life in our country,” Ramaphosa said.

I have learned with great sadness of the passing of veteran photographer and activist Peter Magubane at the age of 91.

On behalf of government and the nation, I offer my deep condolences to the Magubane family, our veteran’s friends and his countless associates around the… pic.twitter.com/mfHD53Ljct

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) January 1, 2024

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Bravery

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) said Magubane was a giant in the field of photojournalism.

“He will forever be remembered as one of the courageous journalists who defiantly opposed the apartheid regime in South Africa. Throughout the oppressive years of apartheid, he faced harassment, beatings, buckshot wounds, and prolonged periods of interrogation and detention.

“Remarkably, he survived being shot seventeen times at a student’s funeral in Natalspruit, Gauteng Province, and endured over 586 days in solitary confinement in 1969,” Sanef said.

Sanef said Magubane’s resistance was not only evident in his actions but also in his creative methods of capturing the truth.

“He ingeniously hid his camera in a hollowed-out Bible, firing with a cable release from his pocket. On other occasions, he covertly took shots with his camera concealed beneath his jacket, inside a milk carton, or half a loaf of bread, pretending to eat while documenting crucial moments,” Sanef added.

Details of Magubane’s funeral are yet to be announced.

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