Nelson ... (7)
I believe the answer is:
mandela
'nelson' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for mandela that I've seen before include "Nelson --, South African politician" , "Nelson lengthily detained" , "Nelson . . . . . . ., great African statesman (7)" , "Could be Nelson" , "Nelson --, South African statesman" .)