Professional photo-journalist took pride in perfection
First person of colour to get diploma in photography at Durban technikon
Died: October 13 Born: February 10 1955 Burial: On Sunday at Durban’s Gospel Church in Merebank Funeral: At the same venue
A longtime friend of the late photo-journalist Peter McKenzie has described him as an exceptional lensman who made South Africa and journalism proud because of the calibre of his work.
“Peter was a perfectionist and always strove for professionalism in his work,” said Mary Papayya.
“I spent several years with him in KwaZulu-Natal and he was always a good person who was dedicated to his work.
“He always wanted to take photographs that would make a difference to the lives of our people.
“Peter also played a vital role in the photo-journalism landscape in KZN and he was at the forefront of creating an initiative and platforms to encourage young journalists to enter the field,” said Papayya, the former Sowetan coastal region’s editor.
McKenzie, who was born in Durban in 1955, died last Friday after a short illness.
Rass Mayet, his childhood friend, said he was saddened by McKenzie’s death.
“We grew up together and we attended our first day of school together. We were friends until his last day on earth,” Mayet said.
“Peter was a very dynamic person. He was larger than life and very respectful to everybody, irrespective of age.”
McKenzie studied photography at the Technikon Natal (now the Durban University of Technology) in 1982.
“He got his diploma in photography at Technikon Natal where he was the first person of colour to study in that field there,” recalled Mayet.
“I was very proud of his achievement and he went on to make strides in the field of photo-journalism. He exhibited his work not only in South Africa, but also abroad in countries like France.”
McKenzie worked at the Sunday Tribune and also at The Star for the newspaper’s Africa Edition.
He was a chief photographer for Drum magazine. He cofounded Afrapix, the photographic collective agency.
The hard-working McKenzie was also the co-ordinator and facilitator of the photojournalism department at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg in the late 1990s.