Two organisations called Azania Ground Forces (AGF) and Hands Off Basotho marched to the Union Buildings to deliver a petition to President Cyril Ramaphosa to stop ” harassment suffered by foreigners in South Africa, especially Basotho nationals.”
AGF leader Tlhogi Moseki told Tshwane Talks at the Union Buildings that their gripe centres around constant harassment of foreigners who are ordered to produce their Identity Documents by people who are not police officers.
“Ever since the dawn of March and March foreigners are harassed left, right and centre irrespective of whether they are documented or not documented, and this thing must come to an end before it develops into a civil war,” said Moseki.
“As AGF we have satisfied ourselves that the Basotho nationals living in South Africa are here legally and must be allowed to live in this country peacefully,” he said.
“As South Africans we are supposed to display the spirit of Ubuntu and stop harassing foreigners,” said Moseki.
Meanwhile, Hands Off Basotho leader Justice Dinale told Tshwane Talks that they want Lesotho identity documents to be recognised as being valid to allow Basotho nationals to live in South Africa without being ordered to produce work permits and also not to be limited for the time they are staying in South Africa.
“We came here to the Union Buildings with the support of the AGF and we hope that President Ramaphosa will respond to our demands within 14 days,” said Dinale.
“In many instances Basotho nationals get arrested even when they are in possession of passports and also get fired from their jobs even when they have work permits,” he lamented.
“Lesotho is a country within a country which happens to be South Africa, and we therefore demand free movement in South Africa and we are disappointed that our own Lesotho government has failed to make living conditions of the Basotho nationals living in South Africa bearable,” he said.
“Our Lesotho government is useless and selfish and is full of people who don’t care about their own people, and we will therefore not involve that government; this is our own initiative as long-suffering people of Lesotho,” he said.
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