Photo: Government of British Columbia Pretoria — Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor has noted the decision handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal stating that government had delayed a decision to grant the Dalai Lama a visa last year.
"The Department of Home Affairs has noted judgement handed down today on the Dalai Lama matter. In line with our Constitution, the department respects the ruling of the Supreme Court in this regard. However the Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor and the department will study the reasoning for the judgement before responding comprehensively to this matter," said Jackie McKay deputy director general for immigration at the department on Thursday.
The Appeal court in Bloemfontein ruled that government had "deliberately delayed" granting the spiritual leader a visa.
The Tibetan spiritual leader was due to attend Archbishop Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations in October 2011. The South African government at the time said it had not refused to grant the Dalai Lama a visa.
In its judgement, the court declared that former Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had deliberately delayed her decision by four months.
The IFP and Cope appealed against the dismissal of their application in the Western Cape High Court to have the department's refusal to grant the Dalai Lama a visa in time declared unlawful.
"Government opposed the application brought by both parties against the decision of the Western Cape High Court, which had ruled earlier that the points raised by the counsel of the parties were moot following a withdrawal of the application for a visa by the Dalai Lama," the ministry said in a statement earlier this month.
According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the Dalai Lama cancelled his trip to the country while his application was still under consideration.
The South African High Commission in New Delhi in August 2011 said the Dalai Lama's office informed the High Commission that they wanted to submit his visa application without the original passport, DIRCO said.
"For a visa application to be considered, it must be accompanied by the original passport of the applicant. The office of the Dalai Lama was informed of this. The original passport was only submitted on 20 September 2011," DIRCO said.
In light of international criticism that South Africa's actions around the visa application were influenced by its close relations with China, DIRCO was emphatic that the country's foreign policy was independent and decisions were made based on its domestic interests.
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Its amazing how this so called International Community (NATO) always has something to say regarding African decisions.What I sy to Africa stand firm do your thing; we will never imagine our destiny our FREE THINKING INDIVIDUALITY AFRICANS REGARDS FOR THEIR FRIENDS AND THE ALLIANCES THEY FORM WHICH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE ALLIANCES NATO HAS WITH ISRAEL".INTHIS WORLD EVERYONE LIVES BY THE SAME RULES, NO MAN CAN TELL ME WHO MY FRIENDS ARE AND WHO I SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT SPEAK TO!!!!! NO ONE IS BIGGER THAN NO ONE!! ; REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY BATTLESHIPS AIR FORCE JETS NUCLEAR WEAPONS IT DOES NOT MATTER !! YOU CAN NOT FORCE A MAN TO LIKE ANOTHER MAN IF THERE IS EMNITY THERE.IF YOU HAVE TO THREATEN AND COERCE SOMEONE TO DO WHAT YOU LIKE THEN THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ANIMOSITY!!!! NEVER WILL THERE EVER BE LOVE THERE!!!!!!! .IN REGARDS TO THE ENSLAVERS THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO SCRUTINISE WHAT SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENT FREE WILLED PEOPLE CHOOSE TO DO ; INTERFERING IN A FREE AFRICA IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!
Just a quick response to the hysterical comment preceding mine. For some reason, the writer has decided to equate "international criticism" with NATO and that is rather far-fetched. Experience has shown sustained support by individuals and human rights organizations across the globe for the Dalai Lama's message of peace and kindness toward all mankind. For some, he is a symbol for the "Free Tibet" movement but he is above politics as he sees his duties. Because the Dalai Lama is no threat at all, I am not surprised that certain quarters questioned the motives for the visa denial. I believe the Chinese people are admirable in many ways but it is undeniable that they live under an authoritarian regime that has a mixed record (like all governments). Part of that mixed record concerns Tibet but it doesn't stop there. It is also worth examining Beijing's relationship with the erhnic Uighur population in Western China. We can criticise every country and we'd all be right. It would give the world a big boost if ideologues would not be contemptuous of different viewpoints; not likely when the narrow interests of some continue to reign sovereign over broader interests of all. The ideologue's political identity is of little consequence; not when the most important distinction is between those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.