SOUTH AFRICAN President Nelson Mandela met the country's top sports official in yesterday to discuss the future of the springbok emblem, officials said.

Presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana said Mandela met National Sports Congress (NSC) president Mluleki George in Cape Town.

Mandela said last week he hoped the springbok would be retained as the emblem worn by the national rugby side after a NSC committee recommended that it should be dropped.

Mandela's ruling African National Congress (ANC) said on Sunday it supported the retention of the springbok emblem for the national rugby team. The ANC said Mandela's support for the team in the run up to their World Cup victory last June had helped to redefine the symbol.

The springbok emblem has been regarded as a symbol of apartheid in the past.