Sam Nzima

In 1979, Chief Minister Hudson Ntsanwisi of the Gazankulu bantustan made Nzima a member of the legislative assembly.

When The World was closed down by the government in 1978, the Daily Mail and The Star newspapers requested that Nzima work for them; Nzima refused in fear of the security police killing him.

On June 16, 1976, the Soweto uprising began as police confronted protesting students. Nzima took the photograph of fatally wounded Hector Pieterson (12) on the corner of Moema and Vilakazi Streets in Orlando West, Soweto, near Phefeni High School. This image depicts an emotional scene of Hector being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo, with Hector's sister Antoinette Pieterson (17) right beside them. After The World published the photo the next day, Nzima was forced to hide because of the harassment he was receiving by the security police. He moved back to Lillydale, where he was kept under surveillance by security police.

While travelling he wrote a story about taking the bus and sent it with photographs to The World, a black African daily newspaper. The editor of The World was interested in Sam Nzima's work and requested that he work freelance for the paper. Then, in 1968, he invited him to join as a full-time photojournalist.

In 1956, Nzima found work as a waiter at the Savoy Hotel. At the hotel a photographer named Patrick Rikotso taught him photography skills. Nzima took portraits of workers. While at the Chelsea Hotel, Nzima started reading The Rand Daily Mail newspaper. When reading the articles of Allister Sparks Sam became very interested in photojournalism.

Sam Nzima (8 August 1934 in Lillydale, Bushbuckridge Local Municipality – 12 May 2018 in Nelspruit) was an South African photographer who took what became the widely-circulated and influential image of Hector Pieterson for the Soweto uprising, but struggled for years to get the copyright.