{"id":11815,"date":"2026-01-13T04:28:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T04:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11815"},"modified":"2026-01-13T04:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T04:28:14","slug":"why-people-from-landlocked-lesotho-cross-the-border-illegally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11815","title":{"rendered":"Why people from landlocked Lesotho cross the border illegally"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thousands of Basotho migrant workers have been sleeping outside the Mohale\u2019s Hoek passport office in Lesotho in a bid to renew their documents. But the long queues and limited staff at the office have meant that most of them are turned away.<\/p>\n

Desperate to get to work, many make the dangerous unlawful river crossing into South Africa.<\/p>\n

Lesotho began rolling out national identity cards in 2013. Valid for 10 years, many began expiring in 2023, forcing many people to renew their IDs before they could apply for passports.<\/p>\n

Mohale\u2019s Hoek is a bottleneck. Passports are produced at this office before being distributed to the other nine districts of Lesotho. During the festive season, the pressure on the office became overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Read:<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe and Lesotho permit\u00a0holders get a reprieve until May\u00a02027<\/div>\n
South Africa boosts deportations amid jobs crisis, minister says<\/div>\n

Near the front of the queue was Mapaseka Mot\u0161oeneng standing around a fire. By 2:30am, about 30 names were already on the list. Some people had arrived as early as 7pm the previous day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived just after midnight. Services only start at 8am,\u201d Mot\u0161oeneng told GroundUp.<\/p>\n

Mot\u0161oeneng, a domestic worker in Johannesburg, said she had been turned away at the office on Christmas Eve. Her passport has expired, but first she must renew her national identity card before she can apply for a new one. \u201cOnce your ID is ready, they tell you to wait another 24 hours before applying for a passport,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Basotho migrant workers have been sleeping outside the Mohale\u2019s Hoek passport office in Lesotho in a bid to renew their documents. Long queues and limited staff have meant that many get turned away. Image: Sechaba Mokhethi\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Many Basotho migrant workers returned home for Christmas. Across the country, passport offices were flooded with people desperate to regularise their documents before returning to South Africa. Some slept outside in the open, fearing they would lose their place in the queue.<\/p>\n

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In October 2025, 479 undocumented factory workers were released after raids in SA\u00a0on condition\u00a0they return home to update their papers. For many, the December holidays were their only chance to do so.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Teboho Ranti, from Ha Ranti in Ketane, arrived at the passport office at 8pm Thursday evening. We spoke to him around 4am on Friday. He had slept on the grass nearby. \u201cI came on 24 December and was turned away,\u201d he said. \u201cThe queue was too long. That\u2019s why I decided to come the night before.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ranti works in Cape Town. His passport has expired.<\/p>\n

Makaliso Mawene, a farm worker in the Eastern Cape, arrived at 9pm. When we spoke to him at 3am, he was number 14 on the list. \u201cI cannot risk losing my job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Some people pay men at the river to carry them across on their backs, charging between M20 and M40 (around R20 to R40) per person. Others wade across themselves with their luggage. Image: Sechaba Mokhethi\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Turning to illegal crossings<\/strong><\/p>\n

With passports delayed for weeks, and sometimes months, many Basotho are taking another route to South Africa across rivers.<\/p>\n

GroundUp travelled to Tele Bridge in Quthing district, near Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, one of the illegal crossing hotspots along the border.<\/p>\n

Read:<\/p>\n

Call to scrap passports between landlocked Lesotho and SA<\/div>\n
Lesotho declares unemployment a national disaster<\/div>\n

Days earlier, residents had witnessed a woman carrying a child on her back slip on wet stones while crossing the swollen Tele River after heavy rains. She was swept downstream and briefly submerged. Two men who were nearby rushed into the water and pulled them both to safety.<\/p>\n

Within 30 minutes of our arrival, we saw about 70 people crossing the river, some carrying luggage, others carrying babies on their backs. They emerged from a narrow forest path on the Lesotho side and entered the water in groups of five to twelve.<\/p>\n

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Some paid men stationed in the river to carry them across on their backs, charging between 20 Maloti (R19.95) and 40 Maloti (R39.88) per person. Others waded across themselves.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe price is higher when people return from South Africa,\u201d said Jobo (name changed), one of the men ferrying migrants. \u201cIt\u2019s 60 Maloti because they have money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read: Godongwana questions free care for undocumented migrants<\/p>\n

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Jobo, a taxi driver, said many taxi operators also earn money helping passengers cross by dropping them near the border. They coordinate with taxi drivers on the South African side.<\/p>\n

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Jobo said about 18 men operate at the crossing daily. They have even created a burial fund for drownings and other casualties from their work on the river.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe fetch bodies after people drown,\u201d he said. \u201cThe police only come once the body is on the riverbank.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Makaliso Mawene, a farm worker in the Eastern Cape, slept outside the Mohale\u2019s Hoek office from 9pm. He was 14th in the queue to be helped when the office opened at 8am. Image: Sechaba Mokhethi\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bribes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along the forest path on the Lesotho side, we found a police officer. He refused to identify himself and did not answer our questions when he realised he was speaking to a journalist.<\/p>\n

Read: Over 51 000 illegals deported since SA\u2019s GNU came to power \u2013 Schreiber<\/p>\n

Adam* also helps migrants cross the river. He accused law enforcement of demanding bribes. \u201cFor people to be allowed through the forest, they must pay M20 [around R20] per person to the officer,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we still help people even when they don\u2019t have money, especially when the river is full.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adam said migrants who try to avoid paying bribes often cross at more dangerous points and drown.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Police did not respond to our questions on the allegations.<\/p>\n

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Last week, Thabo Nkhoma, provincial manager of South Africa\u2019s Border Management Authority, told the SABC that more than 300 undocumented migrants had been deported at Maseru and Ficksburg border posts. At least 100 people attempting to re-enter South Africa illegally were arrested.<\/p>\n

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South Africa\u2019s Border Management Authority says more than 300 undocumented migrants had been deported at Maseru and Ficksburg border posts. At least 100 people attempting to re-enter South Africa illegally were arrested earlier this month. Image: Sechaba Mokhethi\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Lesotho\u2019s Home Affairs has since extended operating hours and opened passport offices and ID centres on weekends to try and deal with the demand. Prime Minister Sam Matekane has also appointed a new permanent secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police.<\/p>\n

Mpopo T\u0161oele, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, said he was tasked with restoring dignity to public services.<\/p>\n

Read:<\/p>\n

Parliament urged to pass law on detention of immigrants<\/div>\n
SA\u2019s anti-immigrant sentiments are hindering policy reform<\/div>\n

\u201cThe Prime Minister assured Basotho they will not need to sleep at Home Affairs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople must receive documents in a dignified manner, as it is their right enshrined in the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He said he was instructed to ensure one-day turnarounds for applying and collecting documents such as IDs, passports, and birth and death certificates.<\/p>\n

When he visited the ministry earlier this month, he still found people sleeping outside. \u201cThis is embarrassing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

* Names changed to protect sources.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n