Mathatisi Sebusi
THE Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, Lebona Lephema, on Friday came under intense fire in parliament over the persistent delays in the issuance of passports, a problem that continues to particularly dog thousands of Basotho working in South Africa.
The grilling followed concerns raised by Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, who spotlighted the case of a Mosotho woman, Mangaka Malimabe, who is on the verge of losing her job because Mr Lephema’s ministry cannot issue her with a passport.
The BNP leader told the National Assembly that Ms Malimabe, a domestic worker in South Africa, travelled to Lesotho on July 8, 2025, to renew her passport but, despite visiting the passport office daily, she has not yet received it.
As a result, her South African employer has warned her to quickly return to work or lose her job, which would plunge her family of two children into destitution.
Mr Mofomobe asked Minister Lephema if he was aware of Ms Malimabe’s case and requested an explanation about the delay. He further highlighted the broader impact of such delays, especially given Lesotho’s high unemployment rate, stressing that the delays not only affected breadwinners but also their dependents.
Responding on behalf of Minister Lephema who only pitched up late, Minister of Education and Training Professor Ntoi Rapapa confirmed that the ministry was aware of Ms Malimabe’s case and that efforts had been made to address it.
Prof Rapapa promised that people in similar circumstances such as students and those seeking medical care in South Africa would receive their passports on time.
He said the government was working with consulates to ensure passports are processed faster for Basotho living and working in South Africa.
He also claimed that there was a significant number of uncollected passports, many of which belonged to Basotho working in South Africa.
But Mr Mofomobe was not satisfied with the response, arguing that Ms Malimabe’s case was only being expedited because she had reached out to a Member of Parliament.
“This is unacceptable. Ms Malimabe will only get the passport because she approached me. This shows that people without access to Members of Parliament will not get their passports issued on time before they lose their jobs,” Mr Mofomobe said.
He said there were many cases of Basotho who had lost their passports to delays in the issuance of passports.
Several other MPs also accused the ministry of not doing enough to inform Basotho when their passports are ready for collection.
Basotho Action Party (BAP) leader Professor Nqosa Mahao suggested that the ministry should create a call center to notify applicants as soon as passports are available for collection.
“Two weeks ago, the parliamentary committee was visiting departments of Home Affairs across the country, it has come to our attention that there are huge numbers of uncollected passports, with the possibility of their owners are unaware that they are now available for collection. My question is: Can’t the ministry establish a call center to inform people and make them aware that their passports are available for collection?” Prof Mahao asked.
Mr Lephema, who arrived late, conceded there were many uncollected passports, some of which even expired before applicants collected them.
Mr Lephema assured the House that the ministry was actively working on improving communication and ensuring that citizens were informed about the status of their passports.
The passports and IDs crisis has been in the limelight for over a year now without much respite despite assurances by Mr Lephema’s ministry that it would ensure the speedy issuance of passports.