JOHANNESBURG — Two retired icons and fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureates, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, are being kept waiting as the South African government weighs a decision on granting a visa for the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop for Cape Town, invited the Dalai Lama, 76, to attend his 80th birthday celebrations next week and to deliver the Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture on Oct. 8.
But officials, wary of irritating the country’s largest trading partner, China, have refused to indicate whether they will grant the visa. Chinese officials are sensitive to countries granting a visa to the Dalai Lama because of his role in asserting Tibetan autonomy from China.
The issue is particularly awkward for the South African government because Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe is on an official visit to China.
The issue underscores China’s growing clout in Africa, where it has invested billions of dollars in its bid to access minerals and energy for its giant manufacturing sector. Los Angeles Times; photo, Getty Images
