Cape mourns legendary icon

" Behind closed doors he was a quiet, humble person. Always the same, always sharing knowledge and helping people," this is how Bennie Gool, journalist and family spokesperson will remember the late Rashid Lombard.

- KAYLYNNE BANTOM

Rashid Lombard, acclaimed photographer, cultural activist, and jazz visionary died on Wednesday 4 June at the age of 74.

He was laid to rest on Thursday 5 June according to Muslim rites.

Gool said as an as young journalist just starting his career years ago, Lombard was his hero.

"I was a young photographer just starting out and Rashid was a hero. He was more than just a photographer, he was a musician, and an artist."

Gool explained that Lombard lived a simple life.

"One just needs to look at his house, the car he drove. He was very simple. Rashid should have been the minister of arts and culture in South Africa. He had that kind of wisdom to do a thorough job of that."

Tributes continue to pour in for a man whose life's work bridged the worlds of political resistance and artistic expression.

Lombard and his parents moved to Cape Town in 1962.

Originally trained as an architectural draftsman and later as an industrial photographer, he began his career with construction giant Murray & Roberts.