[2] Rangel was raised by his African grandmother in the impoverished suburbs surrounding Lourenço Marques, while he visited his parents in the outlying provinces.
Rangel was hired as the first non-white employee to join the Mozambican newspaper Noticias de Tarde in 1952, where he worked as a photographer.
[2] He worked as a photographer for several Beira-based newspapers including Diário de Moçambique, Voz Africana and Notícias da Beira.
[2] Rangel joined with four other Mozambican journalists in 1970 to found a weekly magazine called Tempo, which in effect acted as the only publication in opposition to Portuguese rule.
[3] Rangel worked as Tempo's main photojournalist, often documenting poverty or Portuguese policies which were perceived as unfair by the publication.
[1] Many of Rangel's colonial era photographs were banned or destroyed by Portuguese government censors, and could not be published or exhibited until Mozambique's independence in 1975.
[2] Rangel's funeral, which was held at Maputo City Hall on 15 June 2009, was attended by several dignitaries, including Prime Minister Luisa Diogo.
[4] Joao Costa, the head of the Mozambican Photographic Association (AMF), spoke of Rangel saying, "the man has died, but his work remains".