LILLYDALE, SOUTH AFRICA: South African photojournalist Sam Nzima, 71, talks 07 June 2006 in the village of Lillydale near the Kruger national park in northeast South Africa about the black-and-white photo he shot that illustrates the brutality of the apartheid regime: Young Hector Pieterson carried by a fellow schoolboy after being gunned down by police 16 June 1976 in Soweto. Pieterson was struck down by a bullet to the head. A friend picked him up to take him to the hospital. Nzima snapped six shots from behind the 50mm lense of his Pentax SL. The third shot turned out to be the best. It showed the lifeless body of Pieterson carried by Mbuyisa Makhubu, his face torn by pain, with his sister Antoinette dressed in her school uniform running alongside.
LILLYDALE, SOUTH AFRICA: South African photojournalist Sam Nzima, 71, talks 07 June 2006 in the village of Lillydale near the Kruger national park in northeast South Africa about the black-and-white photo he shot that illustrates the brutality of the apartheid regime: Young Hector Pieterson carried by a fellow schoolboy after being gunned down by police 16 June 1976 in Soweto. Pieterson was struck down by a bullet to the head. A friend picked him up to take him to the hospital. Nzima snapped six shots from behind the 50mm lense of his Pentax SL. The third shot turned out to be the best. It showed the lifeless body of Pieterson carried by Mbuyisa Makhubu, his face torn by pain, with his sister Antoinette dressed in her school uniform running alongside.
South Africa is in mourning for one of its most legendary photographers this Sunday, as Sam Nzima passed away in a Nelspruit hospital over the weekend.
Nzima had made a huge name for himself in the 1970s, as he captured the image that defined the abject horror of the 1976 Soweto Uprising. He took the iconic picture of Hector Pieterson, who had been gunned down by apartheid police.
That photo set off a chain of events that eventually saw the despicable regime crumble. When the world saw the horror of what was going on, various countries got tough with South Africa and imposed harsher sanctions. Time Magazine described it as “a photo that made the world take notice“.
There’s no doubt that Nzima can be classed as a hero of the struggle. But what else do we know about him?
Five things to know about Sam Nzima:
If you’re good at something, never do it for free
Nzima showed his business brain off from a very early age. Whilst still at school, he used to visit the Kruger National Park and charge people to have him take their photograph. Not a bad way to earn a few rand, hey?
He found other odd jobs as he escaped the manual labour of farm work, and was employed as both a gardener and a waiter whilst in Johannesburg.
Learning on the job
During his time in the service industry as a Chelsea Hotel employee, Sam used to flick through the Rand Daily Mail from front page to back. Reading the articles and their accompanying photos reignited the fire in Nzima’s heart for photography.
He eventually became confident enough to pitch a story idea to The World. They were highly impressed and offered him full-time work as a photojournalist.
He found a genius way of sharing Hector Pieterson with the world
Given the magnitude of what happened back in 1976, Nzima knew he’d seen something earth-shattering. As the police turned their guns on children, he was right there to capture what the heartless thugs were doing.
Nzima couldn’t just carry on as normal. He cleverly took the film out and hid it in his sock. Sure enough, apartheid forces checked his camera soon afterwards. They were unable to find the Hector Pieterson image.
He had to fight for his copyrights
After going to all that trouble – and subsequently being harassed by local security branches – Sam was embroiled in a dispute over the ownership of his own famous image.
The Rand Daily Mail refused to give him the copyright for more than 20 years before he was eventually awarded the credit in 1998.
Gardener, waiter, journalist, photographer… Oh, and a councillor
After his career in photography, he continued to serve the people admirably in his hometown of Lillydale, Bushbuckridge. Sam Nzima was a long-serving member of the Bushbuck Ridge municipal council and the council of Bohlabela District.
