Tribute to a friend, sister and colleague in the arts, writer, poet and photographer Pretty Lebese-Lekota

It has been a hard week for me since the breaking news of a young talented photographer Pretty Thabang Lebese-Lekota's passing. The sad news were shared on Facebook by her husband John Dashing Lekota, also a talented photographer.

Photographer John Dashing Lekota 

Pretty and I met few years ago in Pretoria to discuss future collaborations where she expressed interest to be the official photographer of my community projects and some exhibitions. Unfortunately whenever the projects show up, they coincided with other projects, making our collaborations impossible. However we kept in touch and followed each other's work closely. 

I was mesmerized by the growth of her work in photography and modeling. She was a lover, a healer and creative individual. Often she'd send me text to say "Congratulations child, you inspire me. Hope you are well.' Pretty was a very selfless person who expressed interest in the advancement of humanity. In her poetry she committed her work to social justice. In the poem she wrote earlier this year from her Facebook page Pretty Lebese, she expressed her thoughts in this way:

Our friend Pretty Thabang Lebese-Lekota is been laid to rest today 23 May 2020. May her soul rest in peace. Robala ka kgotso Kgarebe Ya Sione.