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NO ENTRY: The Dalai Lama was forced to cancel his trip to South Africa over visa delays

A SOUTH African court has thrown out a challenge brought forward by two opposition parties after the Dalai Lama was denied a visa last year.

The Western Cape High Court dismissed the complaint by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Congress of the People, stating it was the Dalai Lama himself who withdrew his visa application.

"What is the civilized, free and democratic world to feel today looking at the South African system's incapability of correcting such a grave injustice and international outrage?" the IFP said in a statement.

They continued: "This is a grave indictment on our entire system of government which has not yet been able to find mechanism to correct what everyone perceives as an injustice."

The Government's long process to grant the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader an entry visa into South Africa so he could attend archbishop Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday last October, prompted him to withdraw his application and cancel his trip.

In a statement from his office in northern India, the Tibetan leader said he did "not want to create any inconveniences to anyone, individuals or governments," but that he "regrets the inconveniences caused to his hosts and the large number of South African public".

"His Holiness was to depart for South Africa on 6 October, 2011 but visas have not been granted yet," the statement continued.

"We are, therefore, now convinced that for whatever reason or reasons, the South African government finds it inconvenient to issue a visa to His Holiness the Dalai Lama."

The South African Government later denied it had been under pressure from China to block a visit by the Dalai Lama. China, which is South Africa's biggest trade partner, has for many years accused the Dalai Lama of being a separatist.

In 1996 the Dalai Lama visited South Africa and met with the country's first black and democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, but was recently denied entry as relations between China and South Africa strengthened.