Convenors of the SA Peace Conference, which was scheduled to start on Friday, have postponed it because of the controversy surrounding the attendance of the Dalai Lama.

"Given that the purpose of the conference is peace, the convenors don't want to put the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in a position where there will be conflict," Irvin Khoza, one of the committee members, told a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The South African government refused to grant the Dalai Lama a visa saying it did not want to remove the world's attention from the 2010 Soccer World Cup preparations.

"The South African government does not have a problem with the Dalai Lama. But at this time, the whole world will be focused on the country as hosts of the 2010 World Cup.

"We want the focus to remain on South Africa. A visit by the Dalai Lama would move the focus from South Africa onto issues in Tibet." said government spokesman Thabo Masebe on Monday.

Committee member Chief Mandla Mandela said this was very disappointing.

"This rejection by the government to not issue a visa, is really tainting our efforts at democracy.

"I am very saddened that somebody like the Dalai Lama is being turned down... I don't think that as sovereign democracy country, we need to succumb to international pressure," Mandela said.

He said it was unfair of the government to refuse the Dalai Lama a visa just days before the conference, as they had alerted it of people invited to the conference as early as November last year.

Guests invited to attend the conference were due to arrive in the country on Thursday.

Sapa