South African Apartheid Photographer Alf Khumalo Dies

: 23rd Oct 2012
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South African Alf Khumalo died in Johannesburg 22 October

The famous South African photographer Alf Khumalo, whose images helped bring an end to Apartheid and usher in the ruling of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC), died Monday of renal failure. He was 82-years-old.

The ANC announced Khumalo's death yesterday as a major loss for the African nation; his work was pivotal in raising global consciousness of the Apartheid regime's abuses. Described by the party as a "self taught giant in the media field," Khumalo began pursuing his love of photography as a child. His work underscored the inhumane system for international awareness during the 1970s, South Africa's state of emergency in the 1980s, and the life of Nelson Mandela before and after his imprisonment. Former President Thabo Mbeki describes Khumalo as "more than a documentary photojournalist. He was, above all, one of South Africa’s eminent historians."

Despite having been faced with several arrests, detention and government harassment, Khumalo persisted in working to expose the brutalities of the Apartheid regime. His work highlighted the importance of photojournalism's power in exposing state sanctioned abuses.

“No one could contradict the truth of what he captured so competently through the lens," Mr. Mbeki said. Khumalo was instrumental in ushering in the new era of South African leadership.

Khumalo's professional work continued up until his death. More recently, he opened a photography school in Soweto to teach impoverished children his art.