Anant Singh mourns death of Alfred Kumalo

Cape Town - Acclaimed South African film producer and CEO of Videovision Entertaiment Anant Singh believes South Africans owe the late Alfred Kumalo a great debt of gratitude for capturing some of the most iconic events of South Africa's liberation history.

Kumalo passed away on Sunday, aged 82, from renal failure at a Johannesburg hospital. He was born in Alexandra, and made his name as a photographer for Drum Magazine.

"It is with profound sadness that I learnt of the death of legendary photographer and journalist, Alf Kumalo," Singh said in a statement on Monday.
 
'His memory lives on'

Singh believes that Alfred's creativity never waned despite being harassed and restricted by the apartheid regime.

"His body of work which spans five decades stands as testimony to his ability as a photographer and his dedication to recording our struggle for democracy.

"His memory lives on in the powerful images he captured, which are immortalized in the Alf Kumalo Photographic Museum in Soweto. My condolences go to Alf's family and we wish them strength and fortitude during this difficult time," Singh said.

The ANC and Thabo Mbeki have also paid tribute to the late photographer.

Singh is best known for producing movies such as Sarafina!, Cry the Beloved Country and the upcoming Nelson Mandela biopic Long Walk to Freedom, which is due for release in 2013.