Scores of Lesotho citizens estimated to be around 455 have been declared undesirable for staying in South Africa without proper documentation.
Basotho working in factories based in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal have been declared by South African immigration authorities to have breached Section 30 upon their arrival at Maseru Border on Monday.
The immigration law notes that it is illegal to stay in SA for more than 30 days without any permit.
“If the overstayed duration is less than 30 days, then a person will ban for 12 months. If the overstayed duration is more than 30 days, then the person will face penalty ban, not less than 5 years,” notes penalty ban under SA Immigration Law Section 30.
With the passports destroyed and stamped with a ban mark by immigration officers on SA side at Maseru Border, SA Home Affairs Minister’s exhortations came earlier than anticipated.
Three months ago, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi publicly revealed that the government of South Africa was ready not to renew more than 90 000 Basotho work permits come 2023.
Motsoaledi said “the move is simply SA government’s control mechanism to economic influx of migrants in South Africa.”
“Estimated 90 000 Basotho working in South Africa won’t get their work permits renewed, therefore they will loose their jobs in 2023.”
Lesotho’s Home Affairs Principal Secretary Tumelo Raboletsi confirmed that Lesotho Exemption Permits (LEPs) will expire in 2023 but said it is a shocker that SA government was not going to renew the permits again.
Twenty three citizens of Lesotho remain in custody in Newcastle and according to Lesotho’s Minister of Information, Communications, Science and Technology Nthati Moorosi said government will be working together with authorities in SA to resolve the issue.
She also disclosed that the government of Lesotho will incur all costs of transportation for Basotho from Newcastle to Lesotho to make sure that of their security and safety.
In August 2021, Angola citizens experienced a blow when their LEPs were not renewed. Zimbabweans followed suit this year and Lesotho will also follow the calamity of non renewal of LEPs.
South Africa’s Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi said during a visit to Newcastle this week that to address the issues of high levels of worker exploitation in the clothing and textiles factories in Newcastle, a team of Inspectors from various Labour Centre’s, the Bargaining Council, the Department of Home Affairs and SAPS conducted Blitz Inspections of factories in Newcastle and Madadeni Industrial Park from 14 to 18 November 2022.
“A total of 70 factories, employing a total 30 539 employees, were inspected during the campaign with 6 night inspections conducted. The compliance rate was disappointingly low at only 8% of the inspected factories,” Nxesi said.
He said a total of 100 illegal foreign nationals were arrested by Immigration Officers of which 73 were from Lesotho, 18 from eSwatini, two from Malawi and one each from Zimbabwean, Mozambique. Five Chinese employers were also arrested and a case of fraudulent misrepresentation in terms of S 61 of the EEA (Employment Equity Act) was opened at SAPS.
“A total of over R148 million was claimed through the enforcement notices that were served,” said Nxesi. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
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