BOMBAY, Nov 1 (Reuter) - Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama cancelled plans to visit South Africa on Wednesday after the tyres of an airplane flying him to Johannesburg burst, members of his staff said. There were 107 passengers aboard the early morning Air-India flight to Johannesburg, an official said, when the tyres on the Airbus 310 burst as it prepared to take off.

"The tyres became too hot and burst," said the official, who did not want to be identified. "But there was no fire, though the fire brigade was on hand."

The Dalai Lama was due to lecture at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University on Thursday as a guest of the World Conference on Religion and Peace.

In Johannesburg, the South African chapter of the conference said the lecture had been cancelled because "it was found impossible to organise any alternative travel arrangements."

The Tibetan leader had cancelled his lecture tour and decided to stay in a Bombay hotel for a couple of days, one of his staff members said. Indian airport officials had earlier erroneously said the Dalai Lama and three companions had been able to board an afternoon flight to South Africa via Dubai.

"The Dalai Lama has cancelled his programme in South Africa," said one of the security staff, who did not want to be identified. "We will be here for two days, perhaps longer."

The Dalai Lama lives in exile in northern India. The Chinese government accuses him of trying to split Tibet from China and of fomenting an independence movement in the region since he fled into exile after an abortive uprising in 1959.