By Mark Ogagan
Iconic South African photojournalist, Dr. Peter Magubane has passed away.
Magubane passed away at his home on new year’s day, surrounded by his family – as confirmed by his daughter Fikile Magubane in local media.
“My father passed peacefully today (Monday), at midday – he was not well, he’s passed on peacefully. My father would have been 92- on the 18th of January,” she is quoted as saying.
She stated that the family will remember his passion, “We will remember him as a very hard-working, conscientious photographer. He was very passionate about his work, everything else would stop when it comes to his work. We are very pained with the passing of our father.”
Magubane was born in 1932 in the Johannesburg suburb of Vrededorp – now Pageview and grew up in Sophiatown.
His photographs witnessed pivotal moments and captured the essence of the anti-apartheid movement, including the shooting deaths of 69 unarmed demonstrators in Sharpeville in 1960, the Rivonia trial of Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress in the early 1960s, and the uprising by high school students in Soweto in 1976.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Magubane, saying that as South Africa commemorates 30 years of democracy this year, Magubane’s photography will be an important part of our reflections.
In a post on X – formerly Twitter, Ramaphosa said Magubane’s prosaic passion was powered as much by what he felt from the heart as what he saw through his lens.
“As we revisit our journey to freedom and the progression of our democratic dispensation, Magubane’s imagery will be an important part of our reflections”.
Political parties including the governing ANC and the GOOD party paid homage to the icon and his remarkable life’s work.Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa, meanwhile described him as a freedom fighter as well as a masterful storyteller and lensman.
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