Legendary photographer and jazz visionary Rashid Lombard dies at 74

News24

04-06-2025

Photographer, activist, and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard has died at age 74.
He received numerous awards for his photography and contributions to music and tourism, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver in 2014.
He founded espAfrika in 1997, which owns and manages the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, launched in 2000.
Renowned photographer, activist, and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard died on Wednesday, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 74.
According to photographer and family spokesperson Benny Gool, he died of 'natural causes.'
Lombard received numerous awards for his photography and contributions to music and tourism, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver in 2014.
As a photographer, Lombard captured historical moments such as '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,' according to a press release from Gool.
He founded espAfrika in 1997, which owns and manages the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), launched in 2000. Lombard directed the festival until 2014.
He was born on 10 April 1951 in North End, Gqeberha and moved with his family to Cape Town in 1962. He initially trained as an architectural draftsman and then an industrial photographer, later working with Murray & Roberts.
Lombard married Colleen Rayson in 1970, and the couple welcomed a family.
Lombard's 'political consciousness was later amplified through the influence of the Black Consciousness Movement,' according to the press release.
He would go on to work as a freelance photographer and television sound recordist.
'His lens captured the unrest and hope of a nation in transition for international media outlets including Agence France-Presse, the BBC, and NBC,' says the press release.
'In 1986, legendary exiled photographer Ernest Cole, who had not held a camera for over a decade, borrowed Rashid's and turned the lens on him - a gesture of deep respect and recognition.'
Jazz was another great passion of his. He served as Fine Music Radio's station manager and became the programming manager at P4 Smooth Jazz Radio.
After stepping away from the CTIJF, Lombard focused on digitising his archives, which his wife had previously managed.
'He later partnered with the National Archives and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) to make the collection publicly accessible online as a national heritage resource,' reads the press release.
His daughter will now continue the archival work after his death.
Lombard also published the photography book Jazz Rocks in 2010, edited by George Hallett, which contained his images.
Lombard is survived by his wife, Colleen Lombard; his sister, Fazoe Sydow; his children, Chevan, Shadley, Yana, Zach, and Daniel; and his grandchildren, Liya, Aydin-Malik, Oliver, Amir Uccio, and Stella Ahed.