Matekane reiterates call for 90-day SA visa

MOSA MAOENG

MASERU – Prime Minister Ntsokoane Matekane has repeated his call for South Africa to commit to have a 90 days visa agreement with Lesotho by May 1, 2025.

The date for implementation for the agreement has not yet been articulated.

Matekane made this call at the second session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) between Lesotho and South Africa held from April 22 to 23 in Lesotho in which President Ramaphosa was present.

The proposed visa agreement would allow Basotho to enter South Africa on a visa for a period of up to 90 days, easing travel restrictions and promoting closer ties between the two neighbouring countries.

The agreement, if implemented, is expected to enhance not only personal travel but also economic cooperation through increased trade and cross-border opportunities.

The first session was held in Pretoria, South Africa in 2023, where issues such as the development and implementation of the Migration Model between the two countries, the 90 days visa arrangement and operation of two commercial borders, that is, Maseru and Ficksburg Commercial Borders, on a One Stop Border Facility to reduce delays in the movement of goods and cargo were raised.

Matekane grieved that despite their repeated affirmations and the anxiety of the people from South Africa and Lesotho about the 90 days visa arrangement, implementation has not yet commenced.

He therefore called for 90 days visa arrangement by May 1, as a commitment between the two countries.

He indicated that for the One Stop Border Facility, the pilot phase has proved successful and that the two governments must complete logistics to make it permanent.

He said, “Lesotho government is also pleased that following the First Session of the BNC in Pretoria, Basotho living and working in South Africa were extended their Exemption Permits to remain in South Africa for work.”

The Prime Minister added that even so, there are teething problems regarding application processes which need to be addressed.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated the need to work together to harmonise measures for the movement of the citizens of Lesotho and South Africa across the borders.

He said the two countries can strengthen immigration cooperation in a manner that is effective and secure, noting that there is need to address cross border criminal activities that undermine the harmonious co-existence that the countries and people should enjoy.

“Our respective authorities should remain seized with the threats posed by global organized crime, which fuels illegal mining, drug and human trafficking, arms smuggling, wildlife destruction, illicit financial flows and money laundering,” he said.

The BNC is a platform that represents the depth and breadth of the bilateral relation and cooperation which are underpinned by historic and kinship ties that bind the people of Lesotho and South Africa.

Looking back in 2023, at the inaugural Lesotho-South Africa BNC held in Pretoria, South Africa, ministers from both countries laid the groundwork for a new era of cooperation, agreeing on six strategic pillars tailored to Lesotho’s unique status as a fully landlocked enclave within South Africa. Recognizing that the 909-kilometre border binds their citizens in deep social and economic ties, both governments committed to an enclave-sensitive migration framework.

Central to this arrangement was the introduction of an interim 90-day visa free entry regime, which allowed citizens of each country to live, work, or visit without the usual permit formalities.

To streamline travel and trade, the two governments agreed to pilot a one-stop border facility at the Maseru-Ficksburg crossing.

Customs, immigration and quarantine functions would be co-located under one roof, enabling travelers and truckers to complete exit and entry procedures in a single compound.

South Africa’s Border Management Authority praised the pilot as “a model for modern, people centred border operations.”