Bummer.

Yes,

It is said that post independence, he was most responsible for keeping his country sane and not sliding into TOTAL anarchy. He formed the TRC and Desmond Tutu also endorsed it. Will history judge this phase of his career as his most significant achievement?

OK

He's not the only Very Brave Man who helped to bring about significant social changes (and global awareness of the same ...) but he will most-certainly be remembered as one of the finest. May he rest in peace ... for a while ... and then may he get back to work in some other celestial plane.

Definition of a freedom fighter: someone who is involved with acts of violence in another country.

It depends on who writes the history and what the masses think is reality.

He was an interesting character because of his larger than life (or an entire government system) persona but as Madiba has died so many native South Africans still live in conditions (violence included) not far removed from the days of Apartheid. Let's not think for one moment the job of ensuring equality in South Africa is done.

Having said that a great man has gone and found peace after a life of unimaginable torment.

Quite correct. I presume you mean economic equality or do you think that there have been no gains in political freedoms by seemingly co-existing (or compromising if anyone prefers) with the old regime? Do people in south africa still get sjambokked or die like steve bikolo who was hung upside down and then was run into a wall a few times?

OK

I mean equality, I did not differentiate.

Mandela called for violent armed resistance if required and even trained in Guerrilla warfare, he was not a Ghandi type persona that advocated passive resistance. Even as late as the term of PW Botha (who was not a very nice person in my personal opinion) when offered freedom if he denounced violent armed resistance he refused based on the premise that if he denounced this he gave up his supposed freedom. People like Ghandi think the opposite. It is interesting that a country like South Africa (SA) can produce 2 world renowned individuals wanting the same result but going about it in 2 totally different ways (and the British in India were, in my opinion, as bad as the Afrikaneer government in SA).

With regards to economic conditions SA's indigenous population has a much higher rate of unemployment, lower living standards, threat of violence etc. Don't go out at night in Cape Town unless you are well armed and never stop at traffic lights. SA is not in any way shape or form a stable country (again this is my personal opinion).

With regard to political freedoms, yes the end of Apartheid was a great event and yes the majority were able to cast a vote and be represented by people they chose but what opportunities do current slum dwellers have of actually getting into the political arena as anything but a voter?

Equality is a perfect construct (or ideal) that can never be fully achieved in any society but SA (in my opinion) has a long way to go before it can consider itself a country that has anything like "equality".