The Dalai Denial Backfire

South Africa's denial of the Dalai Lama's visa request to enter the country for a peace conference has backfired, shifting focus away from World Cup -- seen by many within the country as a global reputation builder -- and towards politics. The country's close relations with China have some convinced that South Africa too worried more about maintaining business ties, rather than focusing on the human rights issues that have plagued the country for centuries.

Officials hoped that turning away Tibet's most famous monk would keep the "focus" on its upcoming 2010 World Cup soccer tournament and keep the games from being overshadowed by politics. But instead South Africa has kicked up a firestorm over its commitment to human rights and its increasingly close ties with China.

But as a nation that depends heavily on Chinese markets for buying its rich natural resources, South Africa has given the appearance of having chosen commerce over principle. It's a decision that could cost South Africa its moral voice on the global stage.

"Because of the role of the ANC during the liberal struggle against apartheid, South Africa was seen as a beacon of all things moral, a beacon of human rights," says Aubrey Matshiqi, a senior political analyst (and former member of the ANC, the ruling African National Congress) at the Center for Policy Studies in Johannesburg. "Unfortunately, the reality is that when the South African government was tested on its principles, it has fallen short."

Like China's own 2008 Summer Olympics, South Africa views its coming 2010 World Cup as a kind of coming-out party, and thus, not something to be messed up with politics.

Source:
South Africa turns away Dalai Lama, political firestorm follows
The Christian Science Monitor
March 26, 2009

Dalai Lama Denied SA Visa For Peace Conference

On the advice of Chinese officials, South Africa has denied a visa to the Dalai Lama, who was set to visit South Africa for a meeting to try to lay out a plan to use the excitement and investment around the World Cup to improve civil rights. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President FW De Klerk have backed out of the meeting.

The Dalai Lama had planned to join other Nobel peace laureates at a conference to discuss ways of using football to fight racism and xenophobia ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"It is true that South Africa, under intense pressure from the Chinese authorities, have denied a visa to the Dalai Lama," spokesperson Thubten Samphel told reporters.

Source:
SA denies visa for the Dalai Lama
Independent Online
March 23, 2009

More on the background of China-SA economic relations:

Over the past two years, South Africa has been China's key trade partner in Africa, accounting for 20.8 percent of China's trade with Africa, while Chinese foreign direct investment in South Africa was about $6 billion (R60bn), and South Africa's foreign direct investment in China came to $2bn (R20bn).

Dai Bing, ministerial counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria, confirmed that his government had appealed to the South African government not to allow the Dalai Lama into the country, warning that if it did so, this would harm bilateral relations.

Source:

Independent Online
March 22, 2009