THE ongoing passport issuance crisis is more than an administrative backlog, it is a mirror reflecting deeper governance failures that continue to burden ordinary Basotho, particularly those whose livelihoods depend on cross-border work in South Africa.
While the government has pledged to issue passports within three days, the lived reality of applicants queuing for days without assistance exposes a troubling gap between policy pronouncements and actual service delivery.
For thousands of Basotho, a passport is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. It determines whether a parent can earn an income, whether children remain in school, and whether families can access healthcare and basic dignity. When such a critical document becomes inaccessible, the consequences ripple far beyond government offices, forcing citizens into desperation, illegality and vulnerability to abuse.
The scenes unfolding at passport offices in Maseru—long queues beginning before dawn, applicants sleeping outside offices, and repeated turn-aways due to “system shutdowns”—are emblematic of a state struggling to manage its most basic responsibilities. Even more concerning is that many of those affected are people who have already paid for services but continue to be treated as if their time, safety and livelihoods are expendable.
The government’s explanation that delays were caused by a change of suppliers may be administratively valid, but it is morally insufficient. Supplier transitions are foreseeable events that require contingency planning. Citizens should not bear the cost of institutional inefficiencies, especially when the stakes include loss of employment, arrest, exploitation, or physical danger during illegal border crossings.
What makes this crisis particularly painful is that it pushes law-abiding citizens into unlawful situations. Many Basotho working in South Africa report being forced to cross borders illegally, exposing themselves to harassment, violence and exploitation by employers who know they have no legal protection. This is not a failure of individual responsibility; it is a failure of the state to uphold its side of the social contract.
The allegations of bribery in order for one to obtain a passport on time are unacceptable. Whether proven or not, such perceptions erode public trust and reinforce the belief that access to services depends not on fairness, but on connections and corruption.
Government officials have attempted to reassure the public by citing extended working hours and a renewed commitment to issuing passports within three days. While these efforts are welcome, they ring hollow when applicants on the ground experience little change. Public confidence will not be restored through statements alone, but through visible, consistent, and humane service delivery.
The passport crisis also raises a broader question: why must essential identity documents be treated as emergency interventions rather than routine public services? A functional state should not require crisis management to issue passports. It demands more than temporary fixes and public relations assurances. It requires honest acknowledgment of failures, clear timelines for resolution, and a commitment to ensuring that no Mosotho is forced into danger simply because their government could not deliver a document they are legally entitled to.
This passport issuance crisis has obtained for far too long. It is symptomatic of an incompetent and uncaring government.
No repeat of MKM debacle