Nelson Mandela was a communist.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( [ mænˈdɛlə ] 18 July 1918 -- 5 December 2013 ) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary , politician , and philanthropist , who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 . Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist , he served as President of the African National Congress ( ANC ) party from 1991 to 1997 . Influenced by Marxism , he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party ( SACP ) . Although critics on the right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the radical left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid 's supporters , he gained international acclaim for his activism .