The department of home affairs has moved to squash misinformation circulating that Lesotho citizens can enter the country using only their national ID cards.
The department clarified that no such agreement exists and that current passport requirements remain firmly in place.
Passport rules for Lesotho nationals have not changed
Rumours spreading across media platforms and social media have falsely suggested that citizens of Lesotho no longer need a valid passport to cross into South Africa.
Home Affairs rejected these claims on Wednesday.
“No such agreement has been reached between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho,” the department said.
It said that apart from being factually incorrect, permitting entry without a valid travel document would place both travellers and officials in direct conflict with existing law.
The department pointed to a specific legal provision that governs all cross-border movement into and out of the country.
“Allowing entry without a valid passport would contravene section 9 of the Immigration Act of 2002, which stipulates that no person shall enter or depart from the Republic unless they are in possession of a valid passport.”
What actually happened at the Cape Town meeting
The misinformation appears to have stemmed from a ministerial meeting in Cape Town on 17 April 2026, where Home Affairs ministers from both Lesotho and South Africa convened to receive findings from a joint task team.
According to the department, that task team had been established to explore the development of a new migration model between the two neighbouring countries, on the direction of the binational commission.
The meeting was not a policy announcement, it was a study briefing and the recommendations that emerged from it still need to go back to the commission for consideration.
“This was the first time that the outcome of the study was presented to the ministers with various recommendations which are to be considered by the commission.”
The department emphasised that the ministers had no authority to unilaterally implement any changes arising from the study, as the process of review had only just begun at that level of government.
“The ministers were directed by the binational commission between the two countries to undertake the study.”
Policy change would require an act of Parliament
Even if the two governments were to consider altering current entry requirements in future, such a shift would be far from immediate.
“For any such change to even be considered, a legislative process involving parliament would be required to amend existing immigration laws,” the department said.
It further confirmed that no such legislative groundwork had been laid, putting to rest any suggestion that a change was imminent or already in motion.
What travellers from both countries must do right now
The department emphasised that the status quo remains unchanged for travellers crossing between the two countries.
Furthermore, it reiterated that valid passports are non-negotiable at all shared ports of entry, for nationals on both sides of the border.
“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.”
With misinformation continuing to circulate, the department issued a direct appeal to the public to stop sharing unverified claims about travel requirements between the two nations.
“The department urges the public to desist from spreading this misinformation.”
