Injured lensman to try prosthetic legs

Injured South African photographer Joao Silva will try on his first pair of prosthetic legs in Washington on Monday, his friend and fellow photographer Greg Marinovich said on Thursday.

Joao Silva, a living legend

Colleagues and fans have reacted with shock and empathy to the news that famed SA photojournalist Joao Silva was seriously injured while on assignment for the New York Times in Afghanistan. We take a look at his work to date, which has earned him recognition as one of the world’s best conflict and war photographers.

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“They will fit them on to his legs to walk around with and that’s a very big psychological step for him,” he said.

Silva (44) is being treated at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington.

Marinovich said his condition was stable and there were no life threatening problems.

Silva was covering the war in Afghanistan for the New York Times late last year when he was seriously wounded in a landmine blast. He lost both legs below the knee.

Although born in Lisbon, Portugal, the renowned news photographer lives in Johannesburg with his family.

In South Africa, he was associated with the “Bang-Bang Club”, the nickname of a group of four photographers who covered events in South Africa during apartheid.

The other three were Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Marinovich.

Silva has worked in Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia, Russia, and the Middle East.

His images have won numerous awards.—Sapa