The Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs, and Police, Mr. Lebona Lephema, on Thursday, visited the Caledon Spoort Border in Butha-Buthe to assess progress during this festive season.
During discussions with Border Management Officers, Minister Lephema acknowledged the resolution of some challenges raised during his previous visit. Notably, issues of transportation for the Police during peak days have been addressed.
He commended the Caledon Spoort Border as the cleanest and most beautiful among all of Lesotho’s borders.
“I urge you to maintain cleanliness and enhance services, announcing plans for competitions among all borders to encourage cleanliness and improve overall service quality, I further recognize the importance of motivated officers, and that awards would serve as a form of recognition,” he stressed.
“Regarding the issue of illegal border crossings (Lirurubele), I instructed the District Police Assistant officer to collaborate with the Lesotho Defence Force to deploy more officers at river borders. The aim is to prevent Basotho from using rivers to cross into Lesotho,” he said.
Mr. Lephema assured Basotho that they need not fear using the borders, even without passports, highlighting an arrangement between the two countries to allow Basotho to cross by filling out a form and having their fingerprints taken.
However, he urged people to refrain from using rivers, emphasizing the dangers posed by recent heavy rains. He requested leniency from officers during this period, as Lesotho works towards ensuring smooth and unrestricted movement between the two countries.
The Minister further informed the public that Lesotho is advocating for a three-month exemption for individuals working in South Africa and therefore appealed to Basotho to avoid engaging in criminal activities in South Africa.
Also speaking, Mthimkhulu Maseko, an Immigration Officer on the South African side, highlighted challenges faced at the border, including undocumented Basotho individuals, saying such individuals are required to fill out a form and provide fingerprints.
He also noted the operational constraints of the border, which does not operate 24 hours thus leading to congestion as people wait until morning to cross.
This was the first tour of Minister Lephema of the Border Posts during this festive season.
Source: LENA 21/12/2023
