…despite government efforts to reduce backlog
Mathatisi Sebusi / Hopolang Mokhopi
DESPITE the government’s promise to issue passports within three days for Basotho working and studying in South Africa, many applicants say there is little hope they will receive their documents in time to return to work.
Thousands of Basotho have been queuing daily at passport offices in Maseru since Saturday, but progress has reportedly been minimal due to an alleged system shutdown at the Department of Home Affairs.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Lehlohonolo Kori said he arrived at the passport office at 5:00am on Monday and was number 336 in the queue. By 9:00am, he said, no one had been assisted, despite some applicants having slept outside the offices overnight.
“I arrived here at 5:00am, but as you can see, none of us has received any service,” Mr Kori said.
“We were informed that the office is still assisting people who came on Saturday and Sunday because the Department of Home Affairs experienced a system shutdown.”
Mr Kori said he urgently needed a passport to renew his work permit in South Africa, adding that failure to do so could force him to cross the border illegally.
“I work as a lorry driver in the Eastern Cape, and having valid documents is very important. Without a passport, I risk arrest or losing my job, which is my family’s only source of income.”
He also said he was expected to report back to work on Saturday, leaving him only this week to secure a passport.
Another applicant, Mammako Lekotoko, who works as a domestic worker in Roodepoort, said she had visited the Department of Home Affairs for the second consecutive day without receiving any service.
“I arrived around 5:00am. We have been waiting since morning and were told that services are still being provided to people from two days ago who could not be helped,” she said.
Ms Lekotoko said her passport was lost earlier this year and that she has since been working in South Africa without proper documentation, crossing the border through illegal routes.
“My job is at risk. I struggle to access health services, and I have experienced exploitation and abuse from employers who know that I cannot report them to the police,” she said.
Meanwhile, Malehlohonolo Lekhotsa described working in South Africa without a passport as one of the most painful experiences of her life, despite applying for a passport on 29 April 2024.
Ms Lekhotsa said she works as a domestic worker to provide food and education for her children, but instead lives in fear and faces abuse.
“On payday, my employer calls the police, knowing very well that I do not have a passport. I am completely powerless. We are denied services. Everywhere you go—to shops, clinics, or town—the police are there. We live in constant fear.”
She said although the Department of Home Affairs informed her that her passport was ready, she has still not received it.
“Each time I come here, I am told to return on Wednesday or after two weeks,” she said.
Ms Lekhotsa expressed frustration with the government, saying citizens struggle to access services they have already paid for.
“Even basic services like passports have become difficult to access,” she said.
Tseliso Hlao, a driver working in South Africa, said receiving his passport recently brought little joy, as it reminded him of years of suffering.
He said he first applied in 2024 and made numerous trips to the Department of Home Affairs while living in constant fear of arrest due to lack of documentation.
“Basotho in South Africa live very painful lives. Some are forced to cross the border illegally, where they face abuse.”
He alleged that some women are assaulted during illegal river crossings and that employers often exploit workers by withholding wages.
“The suffering starts at home,” Mr Hlao said, accusing some officials of knocking off without regard for the hardship faced by families.
“What hurts most is that we pay for passports, yet we suffer for years to get them,” he said, questioning why a paid service takes so long.
He also alleged that some applicants obtain passports quickly through bribery, while ordinary citizens continue to struggle.
However, Maseru District Administrator, Tšepo Lethobane, told the Lesotho Times that the Department of Home Affairs has been working tirelessly since Saturday, opening offices as early as 6:00am.
He said arrangements had been made to ensure all passport applicants receive their documents within three days.
“Passports are being issued after three days. The first group of applicants who applied over the weekend are receiving their passports today,” Mr Lethobane said.
He added that thousands of Basotho were allowed to return home without proper documentation, including those who had overstayed in South Africa, those with expired passports, those without passports, and stateless individuals.
These sentiments were echoed by Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Marelebohile Mothibeli, who said passports issued within three days cost M130 or M430, depending on the category. She acknowledged that delays were caused by a change of suppliers.
“The M130 fee is for a 32-page passport, while M430 applies to passports that have been lost or damaged.
“Currently, applications for the M130 and M430 passports are being processed and issued within a period ranging from three days to one week,” Ms Mothibeli said.
