Motlanthe says Dalai Lama would have been granted a visa

By Khanyisa Tabata
05 October 2011

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has reportedly said the government was planning to grant the Dalai Lama a visa.

When approached about the matter, Motlanthe said the Tibetan spiritual leader had visited South African before and it would not have been an issue if he had not cancelled his plans to attend Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations at the weekend.

The Deputy President denied that there had been pressure from Beijing not to grant the Dalai Lama the visa.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Stellenbosch feels that government could have handled the visa application in a much less controversial manner.