from south africa, ted coppel. >> tonight we have only one guest, nelson mandela.say to themselves what a waste. what about you? >> that is true. to spend 27 years in jail is a tragedy. i regret the years that i have wasted in prison. but, very positive aspects, too, because i had the opportunity to think about problems and to reflect on my mistakes. >> amazing. and over the years, mandela's special history continued. on the man who helped change so much. >> there is mr. nelson mandela, a free man taking his first step s. >> it was a long walk. a walk that lasted nearly a century. freedom and human dignity. a walk he ended up taking the whole world on. on behalf of our rainbow nation, i welcome you all. >> nelson mandela towered over. a moral and political strength and profound decency. >> rebirth that can now be realized. so that all of our children may play in the sun. >> mandela was born in 1918 into a royal family, but he grew up under apartheid, the the vicious cycle of segregation by which the white minority ruled south africa. it's hard today to imagine the