NELSPRUIT -“I knew the man personally and today I join South Africa to mourn the loss of our nation’s greatest leader.” These sombre words came from arguably one of the country’s most famous press photographers, Sam Nzima. On June 16, 1976, Nzima gained international recognition when he photographed the iconic image of Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo after being shot by South African police. Today, it is designated National Youth Day.
Nzima remembers the day when Mandela joined many other prisoners in the walk to freedom as they were released from captivity in 1990. “I was there,” he said, “And I walked up to him and congratulated him before I joined the thousands who were gathered there in celebration. It was a great day and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
In 1991 at the unveiling of the famous Hector Pietersen memorial in Orlando, Soweto, Nelson Mandela personally congratulated Nzima for the work that he did during the struggle and his efforts in showing the horrors of apartheid to the world through his photography.
“Madiba was a man I had met on many occassions. He inspired us all and it was he who united this land when he pronounced that we will never again be oppressed by one another. It is a great loss as we are now left in darkness. The man stitched this nation together into one united flag. South Africa’s brightest light is no more.”
