MEC Shongwe hails Nzima as a great all-round South African

May 14 2018 at 09:37 a.m

MBOMBELA –Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC, Thandi Shongwe mourns the passing on of Sam Nzima. He was 83.

“As a department, we are saddened by the passing on of Sam Nzima. He was one of the greatest sons of the Mpumalanga soil, who used his craft – photojournalism – to liberate his people. He will be remembered for the iconic picture he took of Hector Pieterson during the 1976 student protests in Soweto. He was a great all-round South African. I am pleased that the ANC-led government honoured him while he was still alive. He was bestowed with Order of Ikhamanga in Bronze in 2011 for his excellent contribution in photojournalism and putting the brutality of apartheid on the international spotlight,” said MEC Shongwe.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Nzima family and the journalism community who have all been affected by the loss. We feel your pain and we are affected by the loss,” concluded the MEC.

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