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Lesotho nationals worried they will miss permit deadline

Source: Groundup, 27/09/2016

Many still await documents that they need to complete application

Lesotho nationals living and working in De Doorns are not sure whether
they will be able to meet the application deadline (30 September) for
the Lesotho Special Permit (LSP), says Owen Maromo from People Against
Suffering Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP), an immigrant rights
organisation.

LSP is a project initiated by the South African and Lesotho
governments to regularise Lesotho nationals living and working in
South Africa. The initial closing date was 30 June 2016 but this was
extended .

According to a GroundUp report in May only 500 out of about 5,000
Lesotho nationals living and working in De Doorns had managed to
successfully apply for LSP by 30 June 2016.

In August the Lesotho and South African governments ran a programme
in De Doorns, Worcester and Ceres assisting Lesotho nationals to apply
for birth certificates and identity documents since most of them were
not in possession of these, which are necessary to apply for an LSP.

Maromo said the introduction by the Lesotho government of a system
allowing nationals to apply for birth certificates and identity
documents in South Africa had been welcomed in De Doorns. But those
who had not yet received these documents were worried that they might
not be able to apply for the permits before the cut off date.

The birth certificates and identity documents are processed in
Lesotho.

This is supposed to take two to three weeks.

Maromo also said some people might not meet the deadline because of
financial constraints. Most of the Lesotho nationals worked on farms
and the season had just started, "so some do not have the required
amount for the application."

To date Maromo said over 2,000 Lesotho nationals had successfully
managed to apply for the LSP.

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