Ombudsman exposes Home Affairs rot

…says corruption and mismanagement at Passport Office have rendered citizens “stateless”

Seithati Motšoeneng

OMBUDSMAN, Advocate Tlotliso Polaki, has recommended that the Minister of Home Affairs issues a formal public apology within 30 days over the ministry’s failure to issue passports and critical identity documents to Basotho.

She has also directed the ministry to clear all passport and identity document backlogs within 60 days following a damning investigation into widespread maladministration at the ministry.

Contained in a scathing report titled “Stateless in Lesotho” issued this week, Adv Polaki exposed systemic failures, unlawful retention of diplomatic passports, corruption allegations, and prolonged delays in the issuance of vital documents, warning that the crisis has denied citizens their constitutional rights and left many effectively stateless.

The report further directed the Passport Office to conduct a comprehensive audit of all diplomatic passports within 30 days and enforce the surrender of passports held unlawfully by former office bearers.

The Office of the Ombudsman conducted the investigation under section 135 of the Constitution of Lesotho and the Ombudsman Act after sustained complaints from the public over delays, inefficiency, corruption, discrimination and abuse of power within the Ministry of Home Affairs and Police.

The investigation covered seven districts representing 70 percent of the country and involved interviews with 320 members of the public, ministry officials and senior management.

Among those questioned were former Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police Principal Secretary Dr Mamphaka Mabesa, Deputy Principal Secretary ’Mamakopoi Letsie, Director of Passport Services Mpiko Rafono and National ID and Civil Registry (NICR) Director, Napo Khuele.

Former Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police Lebona Lephema was also questioned during the inquiry. While the report was issued this week, it is not clear whether Adv Polaki wants Mr Lephema or the new Minister of Home Affairs and Police, Voeswa Tsheka, to issue the public apology.

Nonetheless, Adv Polaki said the investigation established a “clear pattern of maladministration”, including lack of strategic foresight, poor procurement management, inadequate digital infrastructure and failure to comply with the ministry’s own service charter.

“The administrative paralysis documented in this report has subjected citizens and lawful residents to prolonged and profound injustices,” Adv Polaki stated.

The report found that applicants had waited as long as two years for passports and identity documents, while many received no explanation for the delays.

According to the findings, 65 percent of respondents said they were never given reasons for delays or denial of documents, while corruption involving bribes ranging from M300 to M600 was reported in at least four offices.

The Ombudsman further established that shortages of passport materials, outdated systems, poor planning and procurement delays had crippled service delivery.

The report revealed that passport production capacity had at times dropped to as low as 50 passports per day, while system shutdowns and broken infrastructure worsened the backlog.

Adv Polaki also criticised the ministry for failing to communicate with applicants and allowing thousands of completed passports to remain uncollected due to weak notification systems.

The report cited cases of Basotho losing jobs, failing to travel for education and medical treatment, and resorting to illegal border crossings because of delays in obtaining passports.

In one case highlighted in the report, Maseru resident Mohlomi Mokoena allegedly lost a confirmed employment opportunity abroad after waiting more than four months for a passport that should have been issued within 21 working days.

The Ombudsman also found that delays in processing naturalisation and residency applications amounted to “executive paralysis”.

The report cited the cases of foreign medical specialists who served Lesotho for years but whose children remain unable to access citizenship documents despite applications dating back to 2022.

Adv Polaki warned that such failures risked driving skilled professionals out of Lesotho.

“The failure to process a naturalisation application is not merely an administrative backlog; it is a declaration of legal limbo for affected children and a profound disrespect for professionals who have dedicated their careers to serving this nation,” the report states.

The Ombudsman further uncovered what she described as unlawful retention and misuse of diplomatic passports.

According to the report, former Members of Parliament, former mission staff and other former office bearers continue to hold diplomatic passports long after leaving office, despite the law requiring them to surrender the documents within three months of vacating office.

Mr Rafono confirmed during the inquiry that enforcement had failed because of a lack of “political will”.

Adv Polaki strongly rejected that justification.

“The enforcement of legislation is not discretionary where the law is clear and peremptory. The failure to act reflects not an absence of political will, but an abdication of statutory responsibility,” she said.

The report also raised concerns over diplomatic passports allegedly being issued under vague titles such as “political” or “economic” advisors, warning that the practice undermines the integrity of Lesotho’s diplomatic documentation and exposes the country to reputational and security risks.

The Ombudsman further highlighted allegations that some diplomatic passport renewals may have been facilitated through improper inducements.

Among the recommendations, the report calls for an independent investigation into corruption allegations linked to diplomatic passport renewals, installation of surveillance systems in passport offices, implementation of digital tracking systems and stricter enforcement of recruitment procedures within the ministry.

Adv Polaki also recommended that irregular recruitment of temporary staff linked to political patronage be stopped immediately, saying the practice had inflated the ministry’s wage bill and diverted resources from critical services such as passport production.

“The issues are not isolated incidents of bureaucratic inefficiency; they are symptoms of a deeper malaise characterised by poor governance, abuse of discretion and executive paralysis,” the report concludes.

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