“The Shot That Nearly Killed Me”

I was deep in Soweto when I saw a man being attacked by ANC combatants. The month before, I’d seen a guy beaten to death – my first experience of real violence – and hadn’t shaken the feeling of guilt that I had done nothing to stop it. “No pictures,” someone yelled. I told them I’d stop shooting if they stopped killing him. They didn’t. As the man was set on fire, he began to run. I was framing my next shot when a bare-chested man came into view and swung a machete into his blazing skull. I tried not to smell the burning flesh and shot a few more pictures, but I was losing it and aware that the crowd could turn on me at any time. The victim was moaning in a low, dreadful voice as I left. I got in my car and, once I turned the corner, began to scream. – Greg Marinovich