Ken Oosterbroek
Encyclopedia
Ken Oosterbroek was a South African photojournalist and member of The Bang-Bang Club
. He worked for The Star
in Johannesburg
, which was South Africa's biggest daily broadsheet. He won numerous photography awards for his work.
Oosterbroek was killed by friendly fire in Thokoza
township, about 25 km east of Johannesburg
, on April 18 - days prior to the 1994 elections in South Africa
, the country's first all-race elections. He and other photographers were covering a clash between peacekeepers and the African National Congress
when the peacekeepers opened fire and shot Oosterbroek and fellow Bang-Bang Club member Greg Marinovich
.
In July 1995, South Africa began a fifteen-month-long inquest into Oosterbroek's death. Despite overwhelming evidence and ballistics proving that only the peacekeepers were close enough to have shot and killed him, the magistrate ruled that no one could be found responsible for Oosterbroek's death. However, in January 1999, fellow photographer Greg Marinovich, a close friend of Ken's, had a chance meeting with one of the peacekeepers who had been fighting in Thokoza the day of Oosterbroek's death, Brian Mkhize. Although Mkhize initially claimed it must have been Inkatha supporters shooting from the hostel that were responsible, on February 14, 1999, he admitted that out of fear and panic, the peacekeepers had unthinkingly opened fire. He stated: "I think, somewhere, somehow... I think somewhere, one of us, the bullet that killed your brother - it came from us."
Kevin Carter
wrote about Ken Oosterbroek in his suicide note, "[...]I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."
Ken Oosterbroek's life and photographs are recorded in The Invisible Line: The life and photography of Ken Oosterbroek by Mike Nicol (Kwela Books & Random House 1998).
Bang-Bang Club
The Bang Bang Club was a name primarily associated with four photographers active within the townships of South Africa during the Apartheid period, particularly between 1990 and 1994, from when Nelson Mandela was released from jail to the 1994 elections...
. He worked for The Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, which was South Africa's biggest daily broadsheet. He won numerous photography awards for his work.
Biography
Ken Oosterbroek initially struggled to get his start in photography, going from paper to paper trying to get a job based on photos he'd taken illegally of fellow conscripts during his military service in southern Angola. Years later, in 1989, he achieved his first success, winning the Ilford Award (South African Press Photographer of the Year). In reference to this, he wrote: 'And then in the morning this kind of emptiness or what-now feeling and it just wasn't so important anymore. I've got it, it's history, it's on record and now my head is free of a single-minded one-stop goal. Now I can really let it rip. Will somebody please give me a gap to let it rip? BUT, give me a break to shoot the real thing. Real, happening, life. Relevant work. Something to get the adrenaline up and the eyes peeled, the brain rolling over with possibilities and the potential for powerhouse pictures. I am a photographer. Set me free.' He would be named South African Press Photographer of the Year again by 1991, and in August of that year he was chief photographer at The Star.Oosterbroek was killed by friendly fire in Thokoza
Thokoza
Thokoza is a township south of Johannesburg, South Africa at the location of the now defunct Palmietfontein Airport. It is situated south east of Alberton, adjacent to Katlehong on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1973 and together with Katlehong it forms the second...
township, about 25 km east of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, on April 18 - days prior to the 1994 elections in South Africa
South African general election, 1994
The South African general election of 1994 was an election held in South Africa to mark the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission .Millions queued in lines over a three...
, the country's first all-race elections. He and other photographers were covering a clash between peacekeepers and the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
when the peacekeepers opened fire and shot Oosterbroek and fellow Bang-Bang Club member Greg Marinovich
Greg Marinovich
Greg Sebastian Marinovich is an award-winning South African photojournalist, film maker, photo editor, and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He co-authored the book The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War, which details South Africa's transition to democracy. In the 1990s, Marinovich worked as...
.
In July 1995, South Africa began a fifteen-month-long inquest into Oosterbroek's death. Despite overwhelming evidence and ballistics proving that only the peacekeepers were close enough to have shot and killed him, the magistrate ruled that no one could be found responsible for Oosterbroek's death. However, in January 1999, fellow photographer Greg Marinovich, a close friend of Ken's, had a chance meeting with one of the peacekeepers who had been fighting in Thokoza the day of Oosterbroek's death, Brian Mkhize. Although Mkhize initially claimed it must have been Inkatha supporters shooting from the hostel that were responsible, on February 14, 1999, he admitted that out of fear and panic, the peacekeepers had unthinkingly opened fire. He stated: "I think, somewhere, somehow... I think somewhere, one of us, the bullet that killed your brother - it came from us."
Kevin Carter
Kevin Carter
Kevin Carter was an award-winning South African photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club.-Early life:...
wrote about Ken Oosterbroek in his suicide note, "[...]I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."
Ken Oosterbroek's life and photographs are recorded in The Invisible Line: The life and photography of Ken Oosterbroek by Mike Nicol (Kwela Books & Random House 1998).