Makgothi fears for immigration deal

MASERU – FOREIGN Affairs Minister Lesego Makgothi is worried that crime and other “nuisances” by Basotho could scuttle negotiations for the free movement of people between Lesotho and South Africa. Makgothi expressed these fears after three Basotho nationals were arrested last week in Welkom, Free State, for allegedly shooting a man in cold blood as he sat in a parked car on November 10.

Makgothi, Lesotho’s chief diplomat, said reports of Basotho men committing heinous crimes in South Africa are reaching alarming levels.
He told thepost that the government is working hard to ease immigration processes by negotiating for the free movement of people and goods between Lesotho and South Africa. Criminal activities, said the minister, were threatening the negotiations.

“It is so regrettable that Basotho have taken that route of committing heinous crimes in the neighbouring country, especially in the Free State Province,” Makgothi said.
The government is negotiating to expand on a November 1 agreement that allows certain classes of passport holders to cross into South Africa without having their passports stamped.
“It is quite unique, and no other neighbours of South Africa have been afforded that (priviledge),” Makgothi said.
However, the activities of some Basotho working or living in South Africa are pushing Pretoria to think twice about opening up the borders.
South African police are also fed up with always having to chase after or fight with Basotho men who, in most cases, are armed with guns.
Last week, South African Police’s Captain Lungelo Dlamini said they were worried about criminal acts committed by Basotho in South Africa.
Talking about the November 10 murder, Captain Dlamini said at approximately 5.30pm a 54- year-old Shai Mikia Mohapi of Welkom was fatally shot by three Basotho nationals.
Mohapi was waiting in a car while his wife was busy in a grocery store.
He was approached by two unknown armed men who shot him several times at point blank and pulled his body out of the vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Mohapi died on the spot. His car was later found abandoned in another part of Welkom.
This is not an isolated case.

The South African police say Lesotho nationals are terrorising the communities that host them, although the police do not have the exact statistics of the number of Basotho caught up in crimes.
Most cases happen near gold mines where many Basotho men have formed violent gangs of illegal miners, more widely known as zama-zamas.
Some of the cases are chilling.

In June 2016, South African police reported that two Basotho men, killed their uncle following a dispute over gold.
The two men and their uncle were all zama-zamas in Welkom. After sharing their spoils, the two men later realised that their uncle had travelled to Lesotho with some material that had not been shared among the trio.

The two men followed their uncle to Lesotho and engaged other relatives to discuss the missing gold bearing material left with the uncle.
The conflict was not resolved, and the nephews killed their uncle once he was back in South Africa.
When other Basotho zama-zamas heard about the incident, about 300 of them grouped to mete out “justice” on the two men by throwing them in an old disused mine shaft. Luckily, the police were alerted on time.

In other cases, Basotho have robbed, raped and killed their countryfolk, South Africans and other nationals such as the Chinese. This has seen some Basotho being sentenced to lengthy jail terms.
Free State police say Basotho zama-zamas have contributed significantly to South Africa’s crime wave.
The police say it is easy for Basotho to cross into South Africa, Lesotho’s closet neighbour, because of lax border controls between the two countries.

Basotho are moving into South Africa in their thousands through porous borders to hunt for jobs. When their dreams do not become a reality, they dabble into criminal activities.
Then there are the rival famo groups of Terene and Seakhi whose supporters do not see eye-to-eye and often violently clash in South Africa.
Many Basotho have died because of famo differences that have rocked both Lesotho and South Africa.

Captain Dlamini said operations by South African police to curb crimes in the country have resulted in some progress in minimising crime.
He said police were also conducting awareness campaigns to sensitise communities about crime resulting in more people coming to the police to report crimes in their localities.
The awareness programmes include visits to schools as well as newspaper and radio campaigns.

“We are doing a lot to counter- attack these crimes with the help of the community who give tip- offs,’’ he said.
Captain Dlamini said police were still faced with a huge challenge of Basotho nationals who work in South Africa without valid documents.

Majara Molupe