Bereng Mpaki
LESOTHO has launched the M300 million electronic visa application system (e-visa system), joining eight other African countries that have migrated from the conventional manual system.
The e-visa system, which went live on the on 1 May 2017, was officially launched on Friday at a Maseru hotel by Home Affairs Minister, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane at a ceremony that was attended by the heads of border agencies and other stakeholders.
The new system was developed through a public private partnership with an American company, Computer Frontiers, which reportedly invested over M300 million to set up the necessary infrastructure.
Adv. Rakuoane said the e-visa system would shorten the turnaround time for visa application processes to a maximum of 72 hours and also eliminate the need for application of an exit visa from Lesotho.
He said with the e-visa system, which can be accessed from anywhere at any time by logging onto www.evisalesotho.com, persons wishing to apply to visit Lesotho would not have to go through the inconvenience of having to courier their passports to the nearest Lesotho embassies and the associated expenses.
“It is efficient and cost effective and will facilitate easy migration, diaspora engagement, remittances, and economic growth,” Adv. Rakuoane said, adding, “It will also help in preventing the human trafficking and smuggling of persons as we shall be able to vet applicants before they enter the country”.
He said Lesotho would also benefit from globalisation and the resultant international trade and increase in tourism activity in the country.
“With the world increasingly becoming a global village, the e-visa system stated about 10 years ago. The first country to introduce e-visa system was Australia, while Senegal is the first African country to embrace this idea. This makes Lesotho the ninth African country to use this platform,” Mr Rakuaone said.
The President and Founder of Computer Frontiers Group, Barbara Keating said e-visa could be a game-changer for Lesotho tourism.
“Most people I meet do not know that you can go snow skiing or trout fishing in Africa,” said, adding, “We need them to visit us in Lesotho,” Ms Keating said.
Acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, Motlalepula Lethibelane said the new system would address some of the immigration issues that have been listed as challenges impacting negatively on development of tourism in the country.
“More often, travelers to Lesotho indicated that it is costly to visit Lesotho because Lesotho’s holiday visa is comparatively expensive and time consuming,” Mr Lethibelane said, adding things would change for the better with more tourism arrivals that would translate into more foreign exchange.
For her part, American Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Elizabeth Pelletreau, said the new system had the potential to unlock Lesotho’s massive tourism potential through more tourist arrivals in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of Lesotho Development Tourism Corporation Mpaiphele Maqutu said he was “overjoyed” at the prospect of “many opportunities for the tourism sector” the e-visa brought.
A multiple entry visa costs US$250 (M3250) while a single-entry visa costs US$150 (M1950) to obtain under the e-visa system.
Meanwhile, the Computer Frontiers team has since trained 50 Basotho for deployment to the customer care contact centre as well as the borders to provide support for the e-visa applicants.
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