South Africa has canceled a global peace conference following an uproar over its ban on the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama from attending. The South African government has been accusing of caving in to China, one of its largest trading partners. On Tuesday, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla, condemned the move.

Mandla Mandela: “It’s a sad day for South Africa. It’s a sad for Africa. And we are a nation that’s striving to be a leader in the African continent, to also be advanced as far as our peace initiatives we have in Burundi and the Sudan. I am very saddened today to see that someone like the Dalai Lama, who all our laureates hold highly, has been turned down on their visa application.”