Thursday, 5 June 2025

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) joins the nation in profound sorrow and regret at the passing of Rashid Lombard, a titan of South African culture, whose life’s work illuminated the struggle for human dignity and justice. Lombard, who passed away on June 4, 2025, at the age of 74, was not only a masterful photographer and music entrepreneur but a revolutionary artist whose lens and vision captured the soul of our liberation struggle. His death is a deep loss to South Africa, and the EFF extends our heartfelt condolences to his wife Colleen, his children Chevan, Shadley, Yana, Zach, and Daniel, his grandchildren, his many friends and comrades, and the entire music and art community in South Africa.

Born in 1951 in North End, Gqeberha, and later relocating to Cape Town in 1962, Lombard’s life was shaped by the brutal realities of apartheid. The forced removals under the Group Areas Act, which tore apart his diverse community, ignited a political consciousness that would define his work. Influenced by the Black Consciousness Movement, Lombard wielded his camera as a weapon for justice, documenting the pain, resilience, and hope of oppressed communities. His archive of over 500,000 photographs, now housed at the University of the Western Cape, is a testament to his fearless commitment to truth. From the unrest of the 1980s to Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990 and South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, Lombard’s images, published globally through outlets like AFP, BBC, and NBC, exposed apartheid’s inhumanity and amplified the call for freedom.

The EFF expresses immense gratitude for Lombard’s contributions to photography and art entrepreneurship. Initially trained as an architectural draughtsman, he transitioned into industrial photography before becoming a renowned news and documentary photographer. His work, featured in exhibitions across Southern Africa and in the seminal book South Africa: The Cordoned Heart (1985), captured the political mobilisation against oppression. As a member of the Vukalisa artists collective, he promoted community-based cultural activities, ensuring art served as a tool for enlightenment and resistance. His 2010 book Jazz Rocks immortalised the spirit of jazz and its role in the anti-apartheid struggle, reflecting his deep bond with musicians who became his “friends and family.”

Lombard’s entrepreneurial genius shone brightest in his establishment of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF). As the founder of espAfrika in 1997 and festival director until 2014, he transformed Cape Town into a global jazz capital. Launched in 2000, the CTIJF grew into Africa’s largest jazz event, blending South African and international talent while prioritising inclusivity and community development. Lombard’s vision ensured the festival empowered disadvantaged communities through training programs in music and dance, fostering a legacy of cultural integration and economic upliftment.

The EFF holds immense appreciation for Lombard’s progressive political engagement. His photography was not merely art but a form of activism, chronicling the struggle against apartheid and advocating for a just South Africa. Working with progressive publications like Grassroots and South, and as a freelance photographer during the height of the liberation struggle, he bore witness to history. His images of protests, political figures, and everyday life under apartheid remain a powerful record of our fight for human dignity. Lombard’s establishment of the CTIJF was a deliberate act of cultural resistance, creating spaces where all South Africans could celebrate their shared humanity.

Rashid Lombard was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, reflecting his extraordinary contributions. Among these, he received the Order of the Disa for meritorious service in the interest of the Western Cape Province, recognising his impact on the region’s cultural landscape. He was also honored with the SABC/Southern African Music Rights Organisation Jazz Achievement Award for his outstanding and lifelong contribution to the South African music industry. In 2014, Lombard was awarded the National Order of Ikhamanga in Silver, a fitting tribute to his role in placing South Africa on the global cultural stage.

Rashid Lombard’s life was a beacon of hope, creativity, and defiance. He showed us that art and entrepreneurship could be revolutionary acts, dismantling oppression and building a nation rooted in equality. The EFF commits to honouring his legacy by continuing the fight for economic freedom and cultural liberation, ensuring his vision of a just and inclusive South Africa endures. Hamba Kahle, Comrade Rashid Lombard.

ISSUED BY ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Sinawo Thambo (National Spokesperson) 072 629 7422

Thembi Msane (National Spokesperson) 061 467 8169

Andiswa Madikazi (Parliament Media Liason) 069 516 4924

Thato Lebyane (Media Inquiries) 078 563 1581