I will honour Sam Nzima, says Patrice Mabasa

Limpopo artist to make a bust of iconic photographer

The Village Voice

Crack Limpopo artist Patrice Mabasa is credited with making busts of important people has now drawn his attention to Sam Nzima, the iconic late photographer known best for taking the picture of Hector Peterson that has come to symbolise what happened on June 16 1976 when the apartheid police brutally shot black students who were against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.

Nzima’s picture of an injured Hector Peterson who was being carried to a car that was to take him to clinic is being used internationally to show how brutal the apartheid regime in South Africa was.

He died in his home town of Lilleydale in 2018 and a museum has been started in his honour.

Patrice Mabasa, an artist from Mavambe village in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality has done the bust of the same picture but its destination is the Hector Peterson Museum in Soweto.

But he is not done. He plans to do the bust of the man himself Sam Nzima.
“It will take me three months to complete his bust and I will present it to the Sam Nzima museum,” he says.

“I wanted to do the bust of the main man himself Sam Nzima so it be presented to his museum this June 16, but I am behind time because I wanted it for June 16,” he said, saying he will go on completing the bust and will arrange with the Sam Nzima Foundation how it will be prented.

The former Shirilele high school learner went to Wits University to do Bachelor of Technology in fine arts and dropped out in 1998 while doing third year because of financial problems and started plying his trade.
The multi award winner has made many work of art. He has also made busts of many tip figures including minister of art and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, Limpopo MEC

for arts and culture Thandi Morake, Limpopo premier Chupu Mathabatha.
“I respect Nzima’s work and it will take me three months to complete his bust,” he said.

Mabasa has also made busts of important personalities both here and abroad.

He has made busts of American artist Ricky Ross, soccer player David Beckam and local singer Black Coffee amongst many others. He is also finalizing busts for former President FW de Klerk and president Cyril Ramaphosa to be presented to the national museum.