More register for SA permits

WITH less than a week to go for Lesotho nationals to get a permit to be living‚ studying‚ working or running businesses in South Africa (SA)‚ the Department of Home Affairs has piloted a special mobile facilitation centre.

All Lesotho nationals living in SA are being told by the South African government to apply for a Lesotho Special Permit (LSP) before the deadline of June 30. An estimated 400‚000 are believed to be living in SA.

The Department of Home Affairs says a pilot mobile facilitation centre activation was arranged for Kransfontein Vegetable Producers, based in Bethlehem in the Free State, and was conducted in the border town of Fouriesburg‚ also in the province‚ this past week.

A total of 110 applications were accepted on the day‚ despite the town being in a remote‚ rural area.

A series of imbizos has been organised in the Free State‚ Gauteng and Eastern Cape to ensure undocumented Lesotho nationals are able to apply for the permit‚ and for their Lesotho IDs in SA‚ before the end of the month, with all the necessary documentation in hand.

“Basotho nationals must urgently visit one of the 11 LSP application centres in SA to get assistance they need to validate their residency in SA‚” the department added.

The home affairs department has dedicated LSP application centres through its partnership with VFS Global in the following areas: Polokwane, Rustenburg, Cape Town, George, Nelspruit, Midrand, Bedfordview, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Durban,  and Kimberley.

The VFS Centres are listed on the VFS website (www.vfsglobal.com/lsp/southafrica). Applicants for the special permit must be registered on the national population register system of Lesotho and a have a Lesotho ID card; have a valid passport or travel document with a unique Lesotho ID number; and the passport must be valid for at least four years. If the validity period of the passport or travel document is less than four years‚ the holder will bear the cost of replacing both the passport and entry of a new LSP into the new passport

Lesotho nationals who have been in SA for less than 12 months need to have a police clearance certificate from Lesotho that is not more than six months old.

Applicants do not need to apply for a South African police clearance certificate. The Department of Home Affairs in SA will obtain the South African Police Service clearance on behalf of all LSP applicants

However, applicants must provide proof of employment or an affidavit from an employer; proof of business registration with the South African Revenue Service and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (to get an LSP business permit); and proof of registration with an educational institution (for an LSP study permit.)

All supporting documents or letters from an employer‚ school or business must show that the applicant had been residing in SA before 30 September 2015.-www.bdlive.co.za