…leaving families stranded, bank accounts frozen
….and the sick unable to access specialised treatment
Mohloai Mpesi
FRUSTRATION, fear and despair are mounting among the country’s refugee community as a government-imposed freeze on issuance of their identity cards and travel documents enters its second year, leaving hundreds of refugees effectively trapped in the country and unable to access essential services.
The refugees remain in limbo — unable to travel, unable to access money, education, healthcare or professional opportunities.
What began as an investigation into alleged corruption in the issuance of refugee certificates has evolved into a prolonged administrative crisis that refugees say is punishing innocent people for alleged wrongdoing they did not commit.
Refugees say the suspension has left them unable to access healthcare, banking services and professional licences, while children have missed opportunities to study outside Lesotho and critically ill patients have struggled to obtain referrals to South Africa.
The suspension of identity cards and passports was initiated in July last year following corruption and fraud allegations against then Acting Commissioner for Refugees, Nthatisi Thabane, and Director of Passports, Mpiko Rafono.
Both officials had been suspended in June 2025 by then Home Affairs Principal Secretary, Mamphaka Mabesa, pending investigations into allegations that they had issued refugee certificates to “undeserving persons”.
They were subsequently charged with various counts of corruption and abuse of power in the Maseru Magistrates Court on 27 January and 10 February 2026.
Mr Rafono returned to work on 6 February 2026 under unclear circumstances, while Ms Thabane has since been replaced by Dr Nthati Mosebi.
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), however, said its investigations have been completed.
DCEO spokesperson, Matlhokomelo Senoko, told the Lesotho Times yesterday that the case was now awaiting reallocation in the Magistrates Court.
“The case was before Magistrate Peter Murenzi. It is now awaiting reallocation in the Magistrate’s Court,” she said.
Magistrate Murenzi was forced to retire in February this year. Therefore all cases which were pending before him would be reallocated to other magistrates.
But despite the conclusion of the investigations, refugees remain without the documents they say are fundamental to their ability to live, work, study and receive treatment.
The continued freeze has also raised questions over whether the blanket suspension is compatible with Lesotho’s own refugee laws and its international obligations.
Section 7(4) of the Refugees Act, 1983, provides that every person recognised as a refugee “shall be duly informed and be issued with an identity card attesting to his status and a resident permit”.
Section 13(2) further provides that refugees shall enjoy the rights and be subject to the duties defined in the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.
The Refugee Regulations, 1986, also provide for the issuance of identification papers to registered refugees and allow those wishing to travel outside Lesotho to apply for travel documents.
Lesotho is also a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which establish protections for refugees who lack valid travel documentation.
Refugee advocates have argued that while investigations into alleged fraud may be legitimate, a blanket suspension affecting an entire community was disproportionate and leaves innocent refugees paying the price.
For Dr Blaise Lukau, the consequences have become a matter of life and death.
His son, who suffers from a serious medical condition, was transferred from Mokhotlong to Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) for emergency treatment and was subsequently meant to receive specialised care in South Africa.
“I am concerned about my child. He got sick last year and was admitted early this year at Tšepong (QMMH). It was found that his condition could not be fully treated in Lesotho and required specialised care in South Africa,” he said.
The child was admitted again in February after his condition deteriorated.
“We left Mokhotlong on a medical flight to Tšepong because it was an emergency. They officially issued a transfer, and immediately requested my child’s passport. I submitted everything so that my child could be granted a passport.
“Unfortunately, I was informed that the process had been stopped — they were no longer issuing travel documents for refugees. It continues to affect my son,” he said.
Dr Lukau said he had approached several authorities, including Dr Mosebi and Home Affairs and Police Minister, Voeswa Tsheka, but had yet to receive a solution.
“I went to different offices to request support, starting with the Commissioner of Refugees, who informed me that the decision was taken from above. I then sought support from the office of the PS, until I reached the office of the Minister, and the answer is still pending,” he said.
He said he had been promised feedback but was still waiting.
“What I want now is to get my son a passport so that he can be transferred and receive medical attention,” he said.
Another refugee, Dr Willy Tsipama, said the suspension had disrupted his children’s education.
His children had been admitted to the University of Botswana but could not travel because their passports had expired.
“It has been almost 15 months, nearly two years. My children were supposed to go to the University of Botswana, where they had been admitted. Their passports had already expired,” he said.
Dr Tsipama said an official memorandum had informed refugees that the issuance of identity cards and passports had been suspended while investigations were conducted.
He said the consequences had since spread to banking, education, healthcare and employment.
“There are people whose bank accounts are frozen because their papers have lapsed. We cannot move anywhere, because Lesotho is landlocked, surrounded by South Africa. We have to stay here like prisoners,” he said.
“No one can go to South Africa to buy things and come back. There is no movement. We have asked whether there is another way — if it is not possible to assist us here, there are countries that can accept refugees. We are, after all, clients of this government.”
Dr Tsipama said some refugees could no longer access health services or renew professional and drivers’ licences.
“We have been waiting for almost two years. We have rights. We are clients of the government, and we come here every single day trying to find a solution,” he said.
“We have children whose future depends on school and university. It feels like a punishment. We are stuck, and we need to know what is going on.”
He said refugees should not be punished for alleged wrongdoing by individual officials.
“I remember there was a problem with the previous commissioner, and it went to court — that is normal. There are people who abuse their offices, but we are not supposed to become the victims,” he said.
“Conducting investigations is understandable, but could they at least open a small window for emergencies? I have proposed this for a long time, but no one has taken it up.”
He said even doctors among the refugee community were struggling to renew their professional documents.
“It is extremely difficult,” he said.
The chairperson of the Refugees Welfare Committee, Dr Bruno Kabeya, said refugees had exhausted numerous avenues in their attempts to have the issue resolved.
“The officers keep saying they are working on it, that they will work on it. But we are still waiting on the Office of the Commissioner — everything goes through there,” he said.
“As things stand, we remain stuck. We have held meetings and sent reminders, but with no success. We have to work around their schedule. Documentation is key — banks and other services all require valid documents.”
Dr Kabeya said refugees had not been given meaningful updates on the investigations.
“The investigations they say they are conducting always feel far removed from us. We have not been updated. We simply have to wait, because the investigation is out of our reach,” he said.
He said the lack of documentation was affecting refugees across the board, including professionals, businesspeople and children.
“Some of us are doctors who need to attend workshops, and others need to renew documents at the bank or their driver’s licences, while our children need to attend school,” he said.
“We are struggling because we lack documents. It is affecting refugees across the board, including those in business. What people want is simply to have their documents.”
Dr Kabeya said refugees were unable to access services such as M-Pesa, Mukuru and banking, while some accounts had been frozen.
“Sick children cannot even be referred to the highest level of care, such as Bloemfontein,” he said.
He claimed the community had already lost a former chairperson who, he said, could not secure a referral to Bloemfontein because his documents had been suspended.
“Last year, we lost our chairperson. He passed away because of the lack of documents. He could not be referred to Bloemfontein because his documents were suspended,” Dr Kabeya said.
He said the refugees were appealing to the authorities to create a mechanism for genuine emergencies while investigations continued.
“Even if they need to conduct investigations, they should come up with some outcome and not punish everyone in the process,” he said.
“If they find that a particular person has a case to answer, that person should be the one held accountable. But when everyone is being punished, that is where the real problem lies.”
He said some refugees had resorted to keeping cash at home after their bank accounts were frozen.
“People are keeping money in their houses because they have nowhere else to put it. Those who left their money in the bank found their accounts frozen,” he said.
“We are human beings.”
Dr Kabeya said the committee had written to the government and the National Assembly but had received no response.
Contacted for comment on Tuesday, Ms Tsheka asked the Lesotho Times to submit written questions. She had not responded by the time of publication despite several reminders, although she had indicated that she would respond.
Dr Mosebi’s phone rang unanswered.
