Guns N' Roses cancel festival gig

Guns N' Roses played at Denmark's Roskilde Festival last year

Guns N' Roses have pulled out of South Africa's biggest outdoor rock festival of the year after bassist Tommy Stinson injured his hand.

The band were scheduled to headline the My Coke Fest events in Johannesburg on 27 April and Cape Town on 1 May.

The dates had been billed as the start of the band's world tour after Stinson's injury forced them to cancel shows in Japan earlier this month.

Stinson severely sprained his wrist when he fell down a flight of stairs.

In a statement, the My Coke Fest promoters said the injury had not yet healed.

It leaves the events without their main headlining act, but they will still go ahead with international acts Evanescence, Hoobastank, Staind and 3 Doors Down.

Guns N' Roses feature Stinson, singer Axl Rose, guitarists Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron Thal, keyboard players Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman, and drummer Frank Ferrer.

They are still expected to play dates in Australia and New Zealand in June.

The Japanese concerts, which had been due to begin on 14 April, were postponed and are now expected to be rescheduled.