South Africa denies agreement on passport-free travel with Lesotho

Home Affairs says citizens must still carry passports despite reports of new border policy following ministerial meeting.

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has dismissed reports that Lesotho nationals may now enter the country using only national identity cards, stating that no such agreement exists and that passport requirements remain unchanged.³⁴⁵

The department said allowing entry without a valid passport would violate section 9 of the Immigration Act of 2002, which requires all persons entering or departing South Africa to possess a valid passport.³⁵⁶ "No such agreement has been reached between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho," the department said in a statement.⁶

The clarification followed a meeting in Cape Town last week between Lesotho's Minister of Home Affairs, Lebona Lephema, and his South African counterpart Leon Schreiber.²³⁴ The ministers received a study report from a joint task team examining the development of a new migration model, directed by the Bi-National Commission between the two countries.³⁵⁶

This was the first presentation of the study's recommendations to the ministers, with proposals to be considered by the Bi-National Commission.³⁶ The department stated that any change to entry requirements would require a legislative process involving Parliament to amend existing immigration laws, and no such process is currently underway.³⁵

Earlier reports had claimed that South Africa and Lesotho agreed citizens need only national identity documents to cross the border, with children under 16 continuing to use passports.¹² These reports also stated that Basotho barred from South Africa for overstaying would be granted amnesty.¹² Puleng Mbangamthi, Director of Legal Affairs at Home Affairs, was quoted as saying the countries wanted processes "to begin on a clean slate" regarding Basotho who overstayed and were declared undesirable.¹²

The reforms were described as part of efforts to simplify movement between the countries and address Lesotho's passport crisis.¹² The department emphasized that all Lesotho nationals and South African citizens must currently present valid passports at the border.⁵