Photojournalist Sam Nzima speaks to The Citizen during an interview in Nelspruit, 23 June 2014. Nzima photographed the image of a dying Hector Pieterson during a student protest on 16 June 1976. Picture: Refilwe Modise
News24 reports that legendary photographer Sam Nzima died in Nelspruit in hospital on Saturday night.
He is most well known for taking the Hector Pieterson photo that turned global public opinion against the apartheid regime on June 16 1976.
His son confirmed that his father passed on after collapsing on Thursday.
Nzima was born on the 8th of August 1934 in Lillydale, a small village in Bushbuckridge. He grew up on a farm. During the school holidays he would go to the Kruger National Park and charge people to get their photographs taken by him.
He ran away to Johannesburg as a young man and found work as a gardener. He eventually became a switchboard operator for eight years.
He used to buy the Rand Daily Mail and was inspired to become a photojournalist. He learnt to develop his writing skills by reading Allister Sparks’ articles and emulating the writing style.
He went to The World newspaper in Johannesburg and asked the editor if he was willing to publish a story. It was published as a feature and he started freelancing for The World. In 1968 he was offered a fulltime job as a photojournalist.
After taking his Pieterson photo in 1976, The World was banned in 1978. The Star and The Rand Daily Mail wanted Nzima to join them but he was unable to do so for fear for his life.
After years of fighting for the rights to his photograph of Pieterson and Mbuyisa Makhubu, Nzima was finally rewarded in 1998 when The Star gave him copyright.
The image was exhibited in Germany along with photographs by Alf Kumalo and Peter Magubane in 2001.
Additional info, SA History
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