I am reminded of that famous quote from ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ where uTatomkhulu President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela says and I quote: “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.”
 
The Mandela Marathon is a timely reminder of that epic journey and brings us back to Mvezo Komkhulu (The Great Place) where the journey began on the 18th July 1918 when he was born to Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla and Nosekeni Nongaphi Mandela. His father was chief counselor to the AbaThembu regent Jongintaba Mtirara who became his guardian after his father’s demise and was raised in his household from the age of 9 to 16 years of age.