Tag Archive for: Lesotho

Andrew Stegmann

Lesotho: Pioneering Electronic Visa Program Aimed to Increase Tourism and Investment

Washington, DC — Lesotho is the only independent nation in the world with its entire land mass above 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). Now the country, with a population of 2.1 million and a surface area the size of Belgium, has another distinction – a top-tier electronic visa program, joining only 13 other countries on the continent, according to the African Development Bank’s Visa Openness Index.

Launched on May 5 – making Lesotho the ninth nation , the platform was created by the Lesotho government in partnership with a U.S.-based, privately owned IT company, Computer Frontiers, with offices and tech staff in Ghana, Uganda and several other African capitals. During last month’s U.S. Africa Business Summit in Washington, DC, where Lesotho e-visa was on display, AllAfrica’s Noluthando Crockett-Ntonga discussed the platform with T’sepiso Mosasane , Lesotho’s acting director of Immigration in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Computer Frontiers President Barbara Keating. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

How is e-visa helping Lesotho?

T’sepiso Mosasane : It has eliminated most of the challenges that we were encountering regarding visas. We used to have a manual system, and there were lots and lots of problems.  Apart from that, we were losing out on investment and tourism because many people didn’t know how to access our visa.  And our country was not even known in the world because we didn’t know how to advertise.

How long does it take to get a visa for Lesotho?

T’sepiso Mosasane : 48 hours.

Barbara Keating: We have a call center and adjudication of the visas is done 24/7.

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Andrew Stegmann

Lesotho’s Home Affairs Minister Appeals to SA to Delay Penalties

Lesotho’s Home Affairs Minister has appealed to South Africa to delay penalties for overstaying, until all eligible Lesotho Special Permit holders are processed at the end of June.

This as the main Maseru border post between Lesotho and South Africa says it is ready to handle the thousands of travellers expected to cross during the Easter holidays.

Many Basothos working or studying in South Africa are undocumented. More than 100 000 have applied for the Lesotho Special Permit that closed at the end of March.

Immigration Manager at the Maseru Border, Malefane Mojakhomo says the challenges they come across are people who have lost their documents or who might try to cross at undesignated ports of entry.

“If they have lost their documents, we urge them to come to our officers to get help because they might end up getting mugged at the unauthorised ports of entry” he adds.

Mojakhomo also warns that those who still don’t have the Lesotho Special Permit may face penalties.

Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane Lesotho Minister of Home Affairs says their appeal is that there is still a lot of confusion especially with people who have pending applications.

“Our fear is that they are going to be penalised by their employers. So we thought we need some kind of moratorium while we are processing the pending applications. But the main port of entries say they will open extra service points and hours to handle the traffic and challenges expected to peak between Thursday and Monday” he added.

Source

Andrew Stegmann

About our team: Rene Stegmann, Director, MBA, MIM, GMS

Thesis on Hurdles and Costs Relating to Expats in Africa (2000); qualified as a Global Mobility Specialist (GMS).Rene-Stegman-Profile15

Rene has been running Relocation Africa since and has delivered a diverse portfolio of programs and services regarding migration to the African continent. Relocation Africa’s services now include Research (surveys) and International Payroll/payment management services for African countries. Rene also provides HR consultation services to Corporates investing into Africa. As a SARA member, Rene contributes to the local remuneration industry as well as infusing the ERC with some African exposure.  Relocation Africa is a proud member of TIRA and she was elected Vice President of the association (2016).  Her company holds many prestigious awards and Rene was recognized for her valuable contribution to the MI Group’s Worldwide Partner Network International Advisory Council (2014/’15).  Rene and her family live in Cape Town where she and her husband, Andrew, work together.   Her undying love for what she does can be seen in every aspect of how Relocation Africa conducts business.