Photographer, cultural activist and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard dies

TimesLIVE

04-06-2025

Acclaimed photographer, cultural activist and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard died in Cape Town on Wednesday, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 74.
Born on April 10 1951 in North End, Gqeberha, Lombard moved with his family to Cape Town in 1962.
'Originally trained as an architectural draftsman and later as an industrial photographer, he began his career with construction giant Murray & Roberts,' said family spokesperson Benny Gool.
In 1970, Lombard married Colleen Rayson and the couple had three children.
'As a child in the Eastern Cape, Rashid experienced a diverse, harmonious community — black, white, Coloured, Indian and Chinese — until the brutal machinery of apartheid forcibly removed his friends to racially segregated areas, never to be seen or heard of again.'
His political consciousness was later amplified through the influence of the Black Consciousness Movement. Lombard went on to work as a freelance photographer and television sound recordist during the height of the anti-apartheid struggle.
'His lens captured the unrest and hope of a nation in transition for international media outlets including AFP, the BBC and NBC.'
Over the course of his career, he documented pivotal moments in South Africa's journey to freedom, including the rise of the democratic movement in the 1980s, the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 and the country's first democratic elections in 1994.
Gool said with democracy came the opportunity for Lombard to fully embrace his other great passion, jazz.
He served as station manager at Fine Music Radio and later as programming manager at P4 Smooth Jazz Radio. In 1997, Lombard founded espAfrika, the events management company behind one of his most enduring legacies: the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, which he launched in 2000 and directed until his retirement in 2014.
After stepping away from the festival, Lombard took over the digitisation of his archives, a task previously managed by his wife.
He later partnered with the National Archives and the department of sport, arts and culture to make the collection publicly accessible online as a national heritage resource.
Lombard's extraordinary archive — more than 500,000 film negatives, video and audio recordings — is now preserved at the University of the Western Cape.
In 2010, Lombard published Jazz Rocks, edited by the late George Hallett. The book is a journey looking through the eye of Lombard's camera, capturing music, people and places that defined his life and work across the globe.
He was honoured with numerous awards for both his contributions to news photography and his impact on music and tourism.
In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious National Order of Ikhamanga in Silver 'for his excellent contribution to arts and culture and his dedication to promoting jazz music that has put South Africa on the map for many jazz enthusiasts around the world'.
In 1986, legendary exiled photographer Ernest Cole, who had not held a camera for over a decade, borrowed Lombard's and turned the lens on him in a gesture of deep respect and recognition, Gool said.
Asked in a later interview about his legacy, Lombard responded: 'No matter who you are — religion, race, male, female — you can achieve your dreams. I'm a true testament to that.'
He is survived by his lifelong-partner Colleen Lombard, his sister Fazoe Sydow, his children and five grandchildren.
Lombard will be buried according to Muslim rites.
The Good Party extended its condolences to Lombard's family and said his contributions helped shape the soul of the nation.
'As the visionary behind the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, he brought global attention to Cape Town while ensuring that the event remained rooted in principles of inclusivity, access and development,' party leader Patricia de Lille said.
She said during her time as Cape Town mayor, she had the privilege of working alongside Lombard.
'The jazz festival stood out not just as a world-class musical showcase but as an all-inclusive event that actively worked to build a more inclusive city, one that welcomed all, regardless of colour or creed,' De Lille said.
TimesLIVE