A special Provincial Official Funeral Service Category Two was held in honour of veteran photojournalist Dr. Peter Sexford Magubane at the Bryanston Methodist Church in Johannesburg today. Among those in attendance were former President Thabo Mbeki, President Cyril Ramaphosa who gave a eulogy, actor, and author John Kani, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, veteran journalists Joe Thloloe, Snuki Zikalala, Mathatha Tsedu, and other dignitaries.
[WATCH]: President @CyrilRamaphosa arrives at the Bryanston Methodist Church for the Special Provincial Official Funeral Service for the late Dr Peter Magubane where he is received by Premier @Lesufi. #RIPPeterMagubane pic.twitter.com/bsByHGrldQ
— Gauteng Provincial Gov (@GautengProvince) January 10, 2024
A MAN WITH SPUNK AND SWAGGER
Ambassador Fikile Magubane, the daughter of the late veteran, paid tribute to her father describing him as a risk-taker who did anything to get his pictures. She said as the Magubane family, they were immensely grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and tributes honouring his life and achievements. "Words often fail to describe the enormity of the gift our father has given to us as his family, his people, his generation and generations to come, and South Africa as a whole." She said one of the things, as his daughter, which she felt very confused about was the road her father took. "I was a true daddy's girl and I always wanted to be with him. It took me growing up to begin to understand the kind of man that he was. My father always took the path of most resistance. We lived in a time when living as a black person was a mere act of resistance. He was truly fearless and went about his business with determination. He was always ready to get a picture regardless of what he had to sacrifice. He had picked a dangerous career and I understood that because he was always in trouble with the police, but nothing could dissuade him from taking pictures. At some point, he used a loaf of bread to disguise his camera." She added. "He was a man with spunk and swagger. We are blessed to celebrate his life and gift."
A WITNESS TO THE TRUTH
Giving his eulogy, Ramaphosa said the country was paying tribute to a distinguished lensman. "Having read the many tributes, it is clear the description of him as legend is a fitting one. Despite all attempts to break his spirit, he would not put his camera down, we have heard. We have heard how despite having his own job to do he was ready to help fellow journalists working with him in the trenches. Peter Magubane's lens bore witness to the truth." He said Magubane's images exposed the apartheid regime's lies. "These images he took appeared in distinguished publications. When we look at the world today, we see journalists being arrested, persecuted, and even killed for doing their job. As we bid farewell to one of our own legendary journalists, I ask that we remember the more than 100 journalists and media workers who have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on the people of Gaza. " He said the International Court of Justice in The Hague will tomorrow begin hearings in the proceedings brought by South Africa against the State of Israel for its crimes committed against the Palestinian people. Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ. As a people who once tasted the bitter fruits of dispossession, discrimination, racism, and state-sponsored violence, we are clear that we will stand on the right side of history. It is our fervent hope that just as we were able to reconcile and make peace, the people of Israel and Palestine will find a lasting, just peace."
