Lensman and jazz impresario dies

HE DOCUMENTED PIVOTAL MOMENTS OF SA'S JOURNEY TO DEMOCRACY.

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

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.

Lombard and his parents moved to Cape Town in 1962 from Gqeberha. Originally trained as an architectural draftsman and later as an industrial photographer, he began his career with construction giant Murray & Roberts.

His political consciousness was later amplified through the influence of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM).

Lombard went on to work as a freelance photographer and television sound recordist at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle.

His lens captured the unrest and hope of a nation in transition for international media outlets, including Agence France-Presse, the BBC and NBC.

He documented pivotal moments in South Africa’s journey to freedom, including the rise of the democratic movement in the 1980s, the release of late former President Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.