Home Affairs must take responsibility for issuing visa to Dalai Lama

The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of International Relations are passing the buck for whom is responsible for deciding whether the Dalai Lama should be granted a visa to South Africa.

Last night, a Home Affairs spokesperson said on television that the Dalai Lama visa application is a foreign affairs issue.

But this makes no sense: this is not an official state visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader, and so requires no input from the Minister of International Relations. The Dalai Lama will be coming as an ordinary tourist to visit his old friend Desmond Tutu for a birthday party.

This is clearly a Home Affairs issue, and the Department should treat his application like any other. Accordingly, the Dalai Lama should be granted a visa if he possesses:

• A valid acceptable passport or travel document good for a sufficient period to cover his intended stay.
• Sufficient funds.
• A return or onward ticket.
• At least two blank pages in his passport.
• Yellow fever certificates if the journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.

Deputy President Motlanthe, who just visited China - the country which would likely place the most pressure on South Africa to refuse the Dalai Lama a visa - has assured South Africans that the Tibetan's visa application "is being subjected to the normal immigration procedures", which means that it is a standard Home Affairs issue.

I will today be writing to the Minister of Home Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urging her to act promptly regarding the Dalai Lama's visa application. I will ask why this application has taken so long to process, for what reason this is being referred to the Department of International Relations and how long it will take for the visa application to be processed.

It's time for government to stop dithering over the Dalai Lama's visa application and treat him with the same respect afforded to all foreign nationals who visit our shores. We cannot allow a foreign power to dictate who and who should not be allowed to enter our country.

Statement issued by Masizole Mnqasela MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, September 30 2011

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