'Let's talk': Lesotho appeals for help after almost 40,000 Basotho illegally crossed into South Africa

The neighbouring Kingdom of Lesotho is appealing to the government of South Africa to consider interventions aimed at assisting Basotho travelling into and through South Africa to other countries by giving them extended days.

IOL reported last week that the Border Management Authority (BMA) has recently revealed that it intercepted 50,312 people without passports who were attempting to enter South Africa during the 2024/25 festive season period.

Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA) Dr Michael Masiapato revealed that during the 44-day festive season operations at South Africa’s 71 ports of entry, a total of 58,394 people were intercepted from entering South Africa, and arrested.

Of the 58,394 undocumented people, the BMA said about 50,312 individuals were people without passports at all; while 6,159 were “undesirables” which refers to people found to have overstayed in South Africa, and 1,923 were “inadmissible” – which refers to people who had invalid passports, fraudulent visas, or did not have the required yellow fever certificates.

“These intercepted individuals were finger-printed and banned for re-entering South Africa for a period of five years,” Masiapato told journalists in Pretoria last week.

A closer look at the statistics reveals that of the 58,394 people who were intercepted and banned from returning to South Africa in the next five years, the neighbouring Kingdom of Lesotho has the lion’s share of citizens in that category.

The landlocked mountain kingdom, entirely surrounded by South Africa, had 38,000 people from the total of 58,394 intercepted individuals.

The other countries with citizens on that list include neighbouring Mozambique with around 6,549; followed by Zimbabwe with 3,067; Malawians stood at 987, followed by Swazis with 870 undocumented and undesirable individuals. 

Thapelo Mabote, spokesperson for Lesotho Prime Minister told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday that the position of Lesotho on that list does not come as a surprise at all.

“I think topping the list shouldn’t be a surprise to both governments – Lesotho and South Africa. Reason being the geographical location as Lesotho is a landlocked country, the only neighbour Lesotho has, is South Africa. Every opportunity that goes behind every citizen’s mind would be – do I have opportunity in Lesotho and if I do not have opportunity, I think South Africa would be the next,” said Mabote.

“Even one who wants to go to counties like Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and many others, Basotho will always go through South Africa. There are a number of issues that both South Africa and Lesotho should look at as neighbours.

Delving into historical context, Mabote said years ago, in the mining sector in South Africa, people from Lesotho have always been dominant workers in the laborious industry.

“South African citizens, during the apartheid era, always had numbers in Lesotho. They stayed, married, got to school, and worked in Lesotho. The relationship between the two countries is no longer the same like before and it has to be reviewed. The leadership between the two countries should sit down and agree on how to help one another with some challenges, looking at undocumented Basotho that are there in South Africa,” said Mabote.

According to Mabote, main reasons why Basotho travel to South Africa include strong family ties with South Africans, and economic opportunities.

However, Mabote highlighted that it is not that Lesotho nationals do not have passports. He said at times, they deliberately “misplace” their passports because declaring the documents, having them stamped at the ports of entry makes their days duration in South Africa traceable. That means, when one overstays, even by minutes, they face the reality of being declared “undesirable” for overstayed in South Africa.

Mabote said Prime Minister of Lesotho, Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane met President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town last year, and the request was put for South Africa to consider extending the number of days that Basotho are permitted to be in South Africa during a trip.

He said Lesotho is also asking South Africa to put a “grace period” on the issue of people who overstay, stopping them from being declared “undesirable”. Mabote said because of the risk of being declared “undesirables”, Basotho then enter South Africa in droves, without declaring their passports to avoid detection on the Department of Home Affairs system.

Mabote added that even if the Basotho nationals were in South African hospitals, they are declared “undesirable” once they gate to the border, going back to Lesotho.

He also pointed out that South Africa currently suffers a huge financial burden having to detain and deport the immigrants and the matter could be solved through political intervention.

Mabote said in the past, Basotho would be given six months to be in South Africa, but that dispensation no longer exists.

“The request now by the government of Lesotho to the government of South Africa is to provide 90 days, three months for Basotho to stay in South Africa, and also there needs to be work permits for those who are employed. They need to give documents that show that they are going to work,” said Mabote.

“There should be a grace period for those that, for instance, have a problem on the way to the border gate. By the time they gate to the border gates, it is five minutes past midnight, and you are declared undesirable because you have overstayed by five minutes. That makes them to intentionally misplace the documents.”

Last week, the Border Management Authority of South Africa said it has managed to stop and deport a total of 468,000 individuals who attempted to enter South Africa illegally since July 2022 following the deployment of the first contingent of border guards.

Working with members of the South African Police Service, over the festive period the border guards arrested about 322 travellers for various types of crimes such as possession of stolen vehicles, possession of contraband, drugs and illicit goods including ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL