Peter Magubane's photographs are immortalised in SA's history - Ramaphosa

JOHANNESBURG - Anti-apartheid activists gathered at the funeral of celebrated photojournalist, Peter Magubane, have described the stalwart as someone who understood that the camera was mightier than the sword.

Magubane died at his home peacefully on New Year's Eve. He was 91.

Magubane has been hailed for his work in documenting and archiving the brutality of South Africa’s apartheid government.

Speakers at his funeral held at the Bryanston Methodist Church in Johannesburg on Wednesday said his work contributed to the international solidarity campaign, which was instrumental in ending apartheid.

Magubane's children said they knew their father belonged to the struggle as much as he belonged to them.

Legendary actor, John Kani, said Magubane's pictures once helped save his life when he was arrested by the apartheid government which charged for communist activities.

Kani said Magubane took a picture of him being dragged away by police.

"While I was in my cell on the 20th day, a piece of paper from the Daily Dispatch with a picture of them dragging me, that was the first time I fell asleep because that photo meant they could not kill me because the world knows they have me and that was the job done by Peter Magubane."

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President Cyril Ramaphosa honoured Magubane with a Provincial Official Funeral Category 2.

Delivering the eulogy at the funeral, Ramaphosa said Magubane’s camera lens bore witness to both the darkest and most pleasant moments of the country.

Magubane later worked as the personal photographer of global icon and the country’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela.

Ramaphosa said Magubane’s photographs were immortalised in the country’s history.

"Peter Magubane's images and those of his peers, upended Hendrik Verwoerd's great lie that apartheid was benign, benevolent and a system of separate but equal and so-called good neighbourliness. Peter Magubane's archive testifies to an extraordinary rage," the president said.