“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

It's hard to forget, in spite of these platitudes, that he was a communist.

Though he was a democratic socialist I will begrudge him no fault. The road to freedom traverses through all nations. His
denominational persuasion of youth is very clear as are so many old world nations. Doctrines of communistic and socialistic tendencies are easily seen through their source text.
The oldest traded commodity in the world ( enslaved peoples )
through oppressive government rule. Plundered of their resources and persons by enticing greed among their own people as it is in our nation today. His mirage of liberty and freedom is just that, causing the people to surcumflex through
voluntary compliance as is the atrocity in our nation today.
A good person will turn from their error, a better person will turn quickly.

Yes, jim, that may be, but there are different forms of communism, or communalism if you will. Being a tribal country, Mandela's form of collectivism was based more on that than Marxism. The road to freedom is indeed long, and as Mandela says, it's not over yet.

The Wall Street Journal sums it up well: "The bulk of his adult life, Nelson Mandela was a failed Marxist revolutionary and leftist icon, the Che Guevara of Africa. Then in his seventies he had the chance to govern. He chose national reconciliation over reprisal, and he thus made himself an historic and all too rare example of a wise revolutionary leader. ... He won the country's first free presidential elections in 1994 and worked to unite a scarred and anxious nation. He opened up the economy to the world, and a black middle class came to life. After a single term, he voluntarily left power at the height of his popularity. Most African rulers didn't do that. ... Mandela became the biggest of African men by refusing to act like a typical African 'Big Man.' He transcended his party's history of Marxism, tribalism and violence. The continent and world were fortunate to have him."