In the epicenter of the political strife in South Africa is former African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela. The ANC is considered to be the leading source of opposition to white rule in South Africa, and Mandela is one of the most revered and powerful figures to emerge from that organization. Incarcerated for over 25 years on charges of treason, Mandela remains South Africa's most well-known political figure. Many South Africans (as well as scholars from the international community) consider Mandela to be the last hope for peaceful negotiation between black insurgents and the white government: what makes Mandela's influence in South Africa so remarkable is that, due to his lifetime prison sentence, he has had virtually no contact with the black population. Mandela, however, continues to exert significant influence on the black population, largely as a rhetorical symbol. Mandela's symbolic role as leader is derived from his success as an organizational leader for the ANC; his charismatic leadership is recognized by both blacks and whites. Cognizance of the role of Mandela as a symbolic leader in the anti-apartheid movement suggests that rhetoric may play a critical function both in understanding as well as shaping the exigency in South Africa. (Thirty-nine notes are included, and 20 references are attached.) (MS)