All this is, fundamentally, is people looking for some good, in an inherently bad situation, so that they can justify said situation.

Unable to really find much they start pointing out worse situations and then using the excuse that "well, they weren't anywhere near as bad as x".   Which is really just a form of Stockholm Syndrome.

And that's assuming you are a good person.  If you're not a good person, you of course won't have any problem defending bad people.

Why would big government be any more of a solution to problems in South Africa than it is anywhere else?   

In fact, if you think Mandela is a good person and if you think it's just a matter of getting someone good to be your leader, then South Africa should be one of the best countries in the world to live in.  Since it isn't, either one or both of those premises are incorrect.