by Phaphama Tshisikhawe and Kgaugelo Selane
The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) hosted the 4th annual Sam Nzima Memorial Lecture at the Mbombela Campus on 16 June 2024. Thirty years since democracy, the annual lecture event once again drove home the extent to which, through his iconic 1976 student’s uprisings photo, Dr Sam Nzima has given our country one of the most memorable records and poignant symbols of the historical Soweto students protests. The photo captured both what the protest was all about and also what South Africa was about, at that time.
In his opening and welcome remarks, TUT’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, noted that, “no one captured the moment and its significance better that Dr Sam Nzima did with his 50mm lens Pentax SL camera forty-eight years ago.”
He described Dr Sam Nzima as, “a leader whose leadership was not positional but nevertheless phenomenal.” Prof Maluleke also made a passionate appeal to corporate South Africa to come over and partner with TUT and together establish a professorship of photo-journalism - this being one of the stated objectives of the collaboration between TUT and the Sam Nzima Foundation. “Unless corporate South Africa comes to the party, we will not be able to establish an impactful and sustainable chair of photo-journalism”, he concluded.
Dr Matthews Phosa, a friend of Dr Nzima delivered the riveting 2024 lecture. He emphasised that unless the country dealt with the challenges facing young people, we were in danger of losing most, if not all of the gains we have made since 1994. He pointed out the urgent need to address corruption, poor service delivery and persistent poverty in South Africa. He outlined a clear agenda to be followed if we are to secure our future: reigniting economic growth, attracting investment, job creation and tackling crime and gender-based violence.
The late Dr Sam Nzima, the man whose camera defeated apartheid.
During a brief intervention during which he shed a tear, the Chairperson of the Sam Nzima Foundation and son of Dr Sam Nzima, Mr Thulani Nzima, reflected on his father's life and his enduring legacy. He pledged the commitment of the Sam Nzima Foundation in ensuring that the Foundation plays its part not only in keeping the Sam Nzima memory alive, but in contributing to positive change in contemporary society.
Dr Mathews Phosa
Dr Reuel Jethro Khoza,Thulani Nzima, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke
and Dr Kenneth Netshiombo join hands after the signing of
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).