The deputy President of South Africa when faced the question on whether the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be granted a visa to the country, he replied that though there isn’t any policy to deny entry to Tibetan origins, he did not assure that the spiritual leader will be granted a visa to South Africa at the moment.
Deputy President David Mabuza replied in the parliament that he can’t say whether the Tibetan spiritual leader will be granted a visa to visit the country and that each application is determined on its own merits and demerits according to the report in the Eyewitness News on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to say whether the Dalai Lama’s application for a visa will be denied or accepted. Wait until he submits an application and it will be determined at that time.” said David Mabuza.
The deputy president also explained in the parliament that there is no policy to deny applicants of Tibetan origin entry to the country. In addition to that, he also told that China has never dictated to government how to determine its domestic policy and neither will South Africa meddle in the affairs of China.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been denied entry to the country on three occasions allegedly under Chinese pressure since 2009.