Media Statements

The African National Congress (ANC) joins the nation and the creative community in mourning the passing of Rashid Lombard, a revered photojournalist, cultural activist, and founder of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. His contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle and post-liberation cultural renaissance stands as a testament to the power of arts and media in shaping the soul of a nation.

Born in 1951 in North End, Gqeberha, and later relocated to Cape Town during the height of apartheid’s social engineering, Comrade Rashid’s early life bore witness to the painful fragmentation of integrated communities under the Group Areas Act. This early experience with injustice sparked a lifelong commitment to justice and expression.

A product of the Black Consciousness Movement and a courageous voice behind the lens, Rashid Lombard used his photographic skills to document the stories and resistance of oppressed South Africans during the darkest chapters of apartheid. As a freelance photographer and television sound recordist, his images were published across the world by outlets such as Agence France-Presse, the BBC, and NBC, exposing the brutality of apartheid and the resilience of our people.

Rashid chronicled defining moments of South Africa’s path to democracy, from the liberation struggles of the 1980s to the triumphant release of President Nelson Mandela in 1990, and the democratic breakthrough of 1994. His photography was not merely a record; it was resistance.

Post-democracy, Rashid continued his service to the country by turning his lens toward celebration and cultural revival. Through his founding of espAfrika and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, he helped cement South Africa’s place on the global jazz stage, bringing together artists, audiences, and energy from across the world.

In 2014, his immense contribution to arts, journalism, and cultural heritage was recognised through the National Order of Ikhamanga in Silver, an honour reserved for those whose work has left an indelible mark on the soul of the nation.

Rashid Lombard’s archive, which he dedicated to digitising in recent years with the support of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the National Archives, remains a national treasure, a living history of resistance, rhythm, and renaissance.The ANC salutes a storyteller, and a builder of cultural institutions that empower and inspire. We lower our revolutionary banner in honour of a life lived in service to liberation and creative expression.

May your images continue to speak truth and your rhythm inspire generations to come

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