Home Affairs dismisses false claims that Lesotho citizens only need ID to cross the border.
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The Department of Home Affairs has firmly dismissed widespread claims that citizens of the Kingdom of Lesotho can now enter South Africa without a valid passport, warning that such reports are false and misleading.
The department said it had “noted with concern various unfounded media reports and social media posts” suggesting that Lesotho nationals would be allowed to cross the border using only national identity documents.
“These reports falsely claim that citizens of the Kingdom of Lesotho may now enter the Republic using only their national ID cards. No such agreement has been reached between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho,” the department said.
Authorities stressed that any move to allow passport-free travel would be unlawful under current legislation.
“Allowing entry without a valid passport would violate South Africa’s laws,” the department said, adding that such action would contravene Section 9 of the Immigration Act of 2002, which requires all travellers to be in possession of valid passports when entering or leaving the country.
The clarification follows a recent bilateral engagement between the two nations. Home Affairs ministers from both countries met in Cape Town on April 17 to receive a report from a joint task team exploring a possible new migration model.
The department explained that this was “the first time that the outcome of the study was presented to the Ministers with various recommendations,” saying that these proposals still need to be considered by the Bi-National Commission.
Crucially, the department emphasised that no policy changes are imminent. “For any such change to even be considered, a legislative process involving Parliament would be required to amend existing immigration laws,” it said.
“No such process is currently underway. The status quo remains.”
Officials reiterated that all travellers must continue to comply with existing border requirements.
“All Lesotho nationals and South African citizens must continue to present valid passports for all entry and exit purposes at our shared ports of entry,” the department said.
The department also issued a warning against the spread of false information, urging the public “to desist from spreading this misinformation.”
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