From a life of hardships, anger, and suicide ideation, to now a successful photographer worth every accolade he’s given, Siphiwe Mhlambi has truly proven himself to be a mainstay in this game of life.
Siphiwe Mhlambi is one of the finest photographers in South Africa. Earlier this year, he was selected as the winner of the Jazz World Photo Award for his image of the artist Nduduzo Makhathini. He also has one of the widest image archives of the live music scene in South Africa, and is particular about his jazz.
But hearing his life story, it’s hard to fathom how Mhlambi became who he is today — a child left with strangers from a young age, treated like a slave, with sores covering his body, and his legs steadily devoured by rats. Eventually, he developed intense anger issues from the unfair treatment he received compared to other children.
Since 2018, Mhlambi has been putting together photographic exhibitions titled Expressions. Over a period of a month, workshops and performances take place, and people are treated to a wide array of the photographer’s works.
“I can honestly say that jazz was just something that gave me so much solace. It gave me freedom, it gave me an opportunity to see myself, to create, and to see something from start to end. I did it for so long, not even knowing where it was taking me,” he says.
“I can honestly say that jazz was just something that gave me so much solace.” - Photographer, Siphiwe Mhlambi.
Photo by Siphiwe Mhlambi.
Mhlambi picked up the camera at 13, “but then I couldn’t use it because I hadn’t gone to school. I [started] school very late,” he says. “It was given to me by the person that adopted me. [My younger brother and I] were just street kids. We had no relation to those people.”
Mhlambi grew up in Soweto with a Basotho family who were farmers. A census worker recommended that Mhlambi start school because of his age, but the patriarch of the household refused to get involved in anything to do with his education.
“I got used to that thing that I’m alone in this thing. My little brother was always safer, because he was three years younger than me. I was the only one that was always picked on, whether it’s a street fight, or it’s people in the house. I used to fight with everyone. It was my life, I grew up like that, and I’m not complaining because it made me what I am today,” he says.
It was this same census worker who, upon hearing his predicament, gave him a camera, and facilitated for him to start school. Everything changed from then on. He was fascinated by his new contraption. It was also the only thing he could claim as his. The young Mhlambi eventually learned to accept his circumstances and found a plan to escape his bullies in the hood, eventually ending up in a gang. In higher primary, his photography started taking off. He was allowed to make images at school, which gave him income on top of his work in the neighborhood. He ended up running away from home to go live with a friend.
Siphiwe Mhlambi’s photography career started kicking off during his higher primary education.
Photo courtesy of Siphiwe Mhlambi.
Mhlambi started sending his work to the likes of Robert Magwaza at the Sowetan newspaper. “This was 1989, if not ’90. I was finishing school, and decided to check newspapers out. People always encouraged me to do that,” Mhlambi says.
The first time he went, it was with a film roll he had been given by the legendary photographer Peter Magubane, whom he met on the frontlines while documenting the ANC/IFP conflicts during the early ‘90s. The selected image was that of a burning bus in Moletsane, Soweto.
From there, more opportunities opened up. He was photographing for titles such as The Star, Sunday Times, and City Press. After he was fired from City Press due to his frequent clashes with the pictures editor as a result of their headstrong personalities, the publication’s news editor wrote a recommendation letter for him to take to Drum Magazine, where he was put on retainer in 1991. His career trajectory took a turn for the better.
“Suddenly, I’m this top dog and I don’t know where that came from. I’m going with the fun, I’m going with the flow. I’m in demand. Every newspaper wanted me, every magazine wanted me,” he recalls.
From a life of hardships, anger, and suicide ideation, to now a successful photographer worth every accolade he’s given, Mhlambi has truly proven himself to be a mainstay in this game of life.
The current iteration of Expressions focuses on the legendary figures of the music in South Africa who have left us – the likes of Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Jonas Gwangwa and Zim Ngqawana.
“I even have large-scale prints, three by four meters. And there are three of them up there on the wall. It’s something different, it’s not what I’ve done before,” he says.
Seeing him at work is a lesson in precision; he maneuvers around impossible obstacles to get his angle, and the results are always impressive. He has an uncanny ability to click his shutter at the perfect moment and get incredible results every time.
“Somehow, when I look back at these things, from the teacher that gave me a camera, to the friend that took me in, all of these people that extended a hand to me to live another day, I’m so grateful to those people,” he concludes.
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