Call to scrap “apartheid-era” passport control with Lesotho
A human rights organisation has petitioned South Africa’s Parliament to scrap passports at Lesotho borders
A human rights organisation in Lesotho has petitioned South Africa’s Parliament to remove passport requirements between the two countries. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi
A human rights organisation in Lesotho has petitioned South Africa’s Parliament to remove passport requirements between the two countries, saying it is “an apartheid-era control mechanism [that] continues to regulate the daily lives of ordinary people in a democratic era”.
On Monday, Advocates for the Supremacy of the Constitution, known as Section Two, submitted the petition. The group wants the 1963 rule that requires passports for travel between Lesotho and South Africa scrapped.
Section Two says the passport rule was introduced by the apartheid government to control the movement of black people and to monitor political activity.
Although South Africa is now a democracy, the organisation says the rule is inconsistent with the values of human dignity and freedom of movement.
Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa. The petition says the two countries share language, culture and families that existed long before colonial borders were drawn. The border divides families and communities.
The group says the Lesotho passport offices face frequent system failures and long backlogs, leaving many people without travel documents for months.
Section Two says this has resulted in families being separated during births, illness and funerals. Workers also lose jobs because they cannot cross the border legally. Some people cross illegally through the Mohokare (Caledon) River, where drownings are common. Others face arrest, deportation and criminal charges.
Section Two has asked Parliament to use its oversight power to pressure the South African government to act.
The organisation wants South Africa and Lesotho to replace passport controls with a system that allows people to cross using national identity documents.
On Tuesday, Parliament’s Petitions Office confirmed that it had received the petition. But it said in an email that decisions about international agreements are made by the executive, not Parliament, and advised the organisation to contact the relevant government department.
Speaking to GroundUp, Section Two coordinator Kananelo Boloetse said the petition is not asking Parliament to negotiate directly with Lesotho, but to pressure the executive to take action.
“The response was technically correct on treaty-making,” Boloetse said. “But it avoided the substance of what we were asking Parliament to do.”
He said that Section Two would now approach the relevant parliamentary committee.
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Letters
Dear Editor
We are agreeing with this petition because as the organisation that's what we are always praying for and we are writing the petition to our government about it.
Dear Editor
Ordinary economic refugees from Lesotho continue to suffer untold pain in pursuit of survival. This demand is far less than what they should be demanding, which is the total scrapping of these colonial borders. Oliver Tambo had mooted this scrapping of these artificial borders, referring specifically to eSwatini and Lesotho in the eighties. The demand for these borders to go is essentially overdue. They were maintained especially by the frontline States during the apartheid era to insulate the people from the evils of apartheid.
Dear Editor
I think this will be the good idea for two countries, and even Eswatini. As long they going to vet when someone visits the other country because some of our brothers are not stranded for jobs, and wish to do criminal activities.
Dear Editor
The group’s demand should be for immediate integration into South Africa. As Lesotho is geographically situated entirely within South Africa’s borders, we as citizens should take the initiative to remove the physical barriers surrounding both Lesotho and Eswatini — the formal processes can follow in due course. Citizens of Lesotho and Eswatini would benefit significantly by uniting with their brothers and sisters as fellow citizens of South Africa, and all citizens of both countries deserve South African identity documents. This is our way to reclaim our unity as South Africans through integration. Those who are committed to integration with South Africa, please stand up and support this initiative.
Dear Editor
If Lesotho is made to be a province in South Africa and gives up its independence then passports and border control could be scrapped. If it remains as an independent country then border control must remain in place.
It is not difficult to get a passport and go through the boarders and it is right for both countries to know who is where.
Dear Editor
I hope my letter will find you well,
Yes I'm agreeing with this petition to free movement Basotho on border line. Lesotho is particularly in South Africa surrounded by so many border posts.
Those borders benefits only politicians.
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