Jacob Zuma risks Nelson Mandela's legacy with his pro-Beijing stance
The ANC's widely accepted 'hostility to western democracies' puts the legacy of Nelson Mandela's 'rainbow nation' of South Africa in danger
Most people would be reluctant to pick a fight with a revered Buddhist holy man and 14 other Nobel peace prize winners, but that's just what South African President Jacob Zuma has done.
When the Dalai Lama sought a visa to attend next week's inaugural summit of Nobel laureates in Africa, Zuma's government hesitated, and the Tibetan cancelled his trip.
It is the third time Zuma's government has dragged its feet on a visa. Zuma knew he would receive public condemnation, but a pat on the head from Beijing.
But this time the backlash was tougher and more damaging.
Zuma's decision resulted in the embarrassing cancellation of the Cape Town Nobel event, which had been scheduled to mark the 20th anniversary of apartheid's collapse and the election of Nelson Mandela.
Many South Africans accuse Zuma of rubbishing the image of Mandela's "rainbow nation", saying the party of Nobel winner Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle has become a slave of Beijing and Moscow.