The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed reports claiming that Lesotho nationals will no longer need valid passports to enter South Africa, calling the claims false and misleading.
The department said on Wednesday that citizens of Lesotho must continue to present valid passports when entering the country and cannot use only their national identity cards for travel.
“No such agreement has been reached between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho,” the department said in a statement.
The clarification follows unfounded media reports and social media posts suggesting that passport requirements for Lesotho nationals had been waived.
The department said allowing entry without a valid passport would violate South African law, specifically section nine of the Immigration Act of 2002, which requires all persons entering or departing the country to hold valid passports.
Home Affairs ministers from Lesotho and South Africa met in Cape Town last week to receive a study report from a joint task team examining the development of a new migration model. The Bi-National Commission between the two countries had directed the ministers to undertake the study.
The department said this was the first presentation of the study’s outcome to the ministers, and that various recommendations would be considered by the Bi-National Commission.
“For any such change to even be considered, a legislative process involving parliament would be required to amend existing immigration laws. No such process is currently underway,” the department said.
It confirmed that all Lesotho nationals and South African citizens must continue to present valid passports for all entry and exit purposes at shared ports of entry, and urged the public to stop spreading misinformation.
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