Dr Peter Magubane hailed as fearless photojournalist who fought apartheid with his camera lens
|Published
Anti-apartheid photojournalist Dr Peter Magubane has been described as a real ‘Mkhonto’ who used his camera instead of guns and spears to help bring down the cruel apartheid regime.
Words such as distinguished lensman, fearless journalist, freedom fighter, stubborn, courageous, funny, charming, steadfast, intense, and a true Capricorn were used to describe one of South Africa’s proudest Struggle photojournalists, who used his camera to expose to the world the brutal effects of the apartheid regime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa accorded Dr Magubane a special provincial official funeral category in recognition for his contribution to the Struggle against apartheid.
Ramaphosa, speaking at his funeral service at the Bryanston Methodist Church, recalled how Magubane used milk cartons, hollowed-out bread, and bibles to sneak his camera in to capture pictures to show the brutality of apartheid.
He described Magubane as a ‘real Mkhonto’, who never wanted to kill anyone, but who was committed in a single-minded pursuit to exterminate apartheid.
“At a time when an unjust regime acted with disregard for human life, Peter Magubane's images exposed its lies.
“Peter Magubane’s images and those of his peers upended Hendrik Verwoerd’s great lie that apartheid was benign benevolence, a system of separate but equal and so-called good neighbourliness,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said that as Magubane was being buried, it was important to shine a light on injustices elsewhere in the world.
“When we look at the world today, we see journalists being arrested, persecuted, and even being killed for doing their work.
“As we bid farewell to one of our own legendary journalists, I ask that we remember the more than 100 journalists and photographers that have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the people of Gaza.
"Indeed, bearing witness to the truth is a revolutionary act. Standing firm for justice is what must define our humanity, and that is what must define our own nationality,” he said.
On Thursday, a South African delegation will make oral submissions at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against the State of Israel for its crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
“Our opposition has driven us to approach the ICJ as a people who once tasted the bitter effect of dispossession, removal, and state-sponsored violence. We are clear that we will stand on the right side of history,” said Ramaphosa.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said he wanted to ensure the name of Peter Magubane was revered, not only around the world, but also in classrooms in SA.
“It makes no sense to have all these exhibitions around the world and not in our schools. This is the beginning to honour this giant of our revolution. The history of our country is incomplete if the name is not in our classrooms,” said Lesufi.
Magubane’s granddaughter, Lungile, who is an arts scholar, said her granddad was a “soldier with his lens in the front-line in pursuit of justice”.
“His photos were not just political events; the personal was political, and the political was personal. He became a freedom fighter with a simple mandate: get the image, get the image out, and get the image seen.
“He was not just a Struggle photographer; he created visual archives for the canon of South African history; he was a storyteller, a visual anthropologist, and he risked and endured much to capture his legacy on film.
“He only knew to wake up every day and try,” said Lungile, describing her granddad as spunky, fiery, witty, funny, charming, and steadfast.
Magubane’s daughter, Ambassador Fikile Magubane, said her dad always took the path of resistance.
“We lived in a time where being black was resistance. He was determined to get the picture; every time, he was stubborn.
“He picked a dangerous career, and he was always in trouble with the police, but nothing could dissuade him.
“He was a character indeed; he had many ways of disguising himself to make sure that he got the picture,” she said.
Former president Thabo Mbeki and his wife, Zanele, said Magubane was a Struggle icon, and future generations deserved to know about his role in the Struggle.
“His pictures have a voice of their own. They speak of the pain and anguish, courage and audacity, the involvement of the young and old, women and men, black and white, to give birth to something new, beautiful, and humane, even as we see them confront the snarling dogs,” said the Mbekis.
Magubane was laid to rest at the Fourways Memorial Park in Johannesburg.
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