Mohloai Mpesi
THE Consul-General of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Johannesburg, Eria Phiri, has extended consular services to Zimbabwean nationals living in Lesotho in an effort to bridge the long-standing service gap.
The outreach programme, which ran from Friday to yesterday at the CCL Building in Maseru, provided a range of essential services including passport renewals, identity documents processing, and emergency travel documents.
Speaking to Sunday Express yesterday, Mr Phiri said the Consulate, based in Johannesburg, serves five jurisdictions — Johannesburg, Lesotho, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Seychelles.
He said the outreach was part of the Zimbabwean government’s mission to ensure that all its citizens abroad have access to necessary services.
“We are here to provide consular services to Zimbabwean nationals based in Lesotho. As the government of Zimbabwe, we have a mission to ensure that no one and no place is left behind. We are pleased to conduct this outreach programme in Maseru,” Mr Phiri said.
He explained that the initiative aims to protect and promote the rights and interests of Zimbabweans living outside their country.
“Many Zimbabweans in Lesotho face challenges such as renewing passports, registering the births of their children, or obtaining emergency travel documents when they wish to return home. Because of the distance between Maseru and Johannesburg — or even Harare — we decided to bridge that gap.”
Mr Phiri also said undocumented Zimbabweans often struggle to access essential services such as healthcare and education, a challenge the outreach seeks to address.
“We have managed to document hundreds of Zimbabweans so far, including many children born here in Lesotho. If children are not documented, they cannot access the education or health systems, which would amount to a denial of basic rights,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the government of Lesotho for supporting the initiative and urged Zimbabweans living in the country to regularise their stay.
“They must comply with Lesotho’s laws. If you don’t have proper documentation, law enforcement will always be after you.”
Mr Phiri said the outreach will remain a regular feature on Zimbabwe’s calendar to ensure that citizens abroad remain properly documented and protected.