Mandela's 'long walk to freedom' has just begun: widow

Nelson Mandela's widow said Monday that the world still had a long way to go to attain the freedoms that her husband fought for, as South Africa prepared to celebrate 100 years since his birth.

Graca Machel told AFP in an interview that the anniversary events should inspire people to take action to tackle inequality, improve education and become part of a "tapestry of good against evil".

Referencing her husband's memoir "Long Walk to Freedom", she said: "We have just begun the journey, we have to keep walking because the freedoms which we are trying to see embodied by (Mandela) are still in their infancy."

Mandela, who died in 2013, remains a global icon for his battle against white-minority apartheid rule and for his message of peace and reconciliation when he was released after 27 years in prison.

"We still have a long way to go to have equality between men and women, between developed and so-called developing countries," Machel said.

"We still have a long way to go to provide and to make sure that every single child has a quality education."

Mandela married Machel, the wife of Mozambique's late President Samora Machel, in 1998.

Former US president Barack Obama will give a flagship speech in Johannesburg on Tuesday to mark the 100th anniversary of Mandela's birth, a day before Mandela's actual birth day on July 18.