Rinpoche said that he considered his visit a ' pilgrimage to South Africa, a country which had allowed wisdom to prevail in achieving a negotiated and peaceful solution to its problems.' He added that South Africa could play a useful role in persuading the PRC to enter into negotiations with the TGIE.

Rinpoche also met with senior management of Gold Fields, the 4th largest bullion producer in the world, to discuss the sensitive issue of mining in Tibet. Gold Fields has a 10% stake in Sino Gold, the Australian Mining Junior which has been at the centre of a campaign by the Australia Tibet Council to stop mining activities in Jinkang, Tibet. Rinpoche expressed positive sentiments towards the responsible attitude of Gold Fields regarding the issue of extracting non-renewable resources such as gold from Tibet, while Tibetans enjoy no real benefit from such ventures. Gold Fields has stated that work on the Jinkang site has been halted.

Rinpoche gave a public address at the Lam Rim Buddhist centre in Johannesburg, using the opportunity to clarify the TGIE stance towards the PRC and outlining the progress of talks to date.He re- confirmed the strictly non-violent basis of the Tibetan struggle for genuine autonomy, and stressed the ethical nature of the TGIE struggle methodology.

Rinpoche returned to Washington D.C. on the 6th Feb.