Zuko Komisa
- Valid passports are still mandatory for all travel between South Africa and Lesotho.
- Entry without a passport would violate Section 9 of the Immigration Act of 2002.
- Recent ministerial meetings focused on a migration study, not immediate legislative amendments.
The Department of Home Affairs has officially dismissed circulating media reports and social media claims suggesting that Lesotho nationals may now enter South Africa using only national ID cards.
The Department clarified that no such agreement exists and that current immigration requirements remain unchanged.
The misinformation follows a meeting in Cape Town on 17 April 2026, where Home Affairs Ministers from both nations reviewed a joint task team report on migration models.
While the Bi-National Commission is currently considering recommendations from this study, no decisions regarding passport-free travel have been finalised.
The Department emphasised that any alteration to entry requirements would necessitate a formal legislative process and amendments to existing laws by Parliament.
As no such process is currently underway, the public is urged to ignore these false reports and ensure they possess valid travel documents for all cross-border movement.
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