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Chronic food shortages in Lesotho, coupled with the effects of climate change such as floods and droughts, have led to Basotho men being trafficked into the illegal mining industry by organised crime syndicates operating in South Africa.
According to the recently published2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: LesothoUndocumented Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa in search of work due to persecution by the U.S. government are often exploited in abandoned and unregulated gold mines.
The report also revealed that traffickers used threats of violence to force the men to commit crimes such as theft, drug trafficking and smuggling in South Africa.
“Climate change, including slow-onset weather events such as floods and droughts, is already affecting agricultural production and food security, increasing the risk of human trafficking,” the report states. “Factory closures leading to rising unemployment are forcing some Basotho citizens to enter South Africa without documentation, making them more vulnerable to human trafficking.”
The report further states that while the Government of Lesotho has not fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, it is making significant efforts to that end and that efforts have generally increased compared to the previous reporting period.
The report highlights: “The government increased prosecutions of suspected traffickers and increased funding for anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. The government also increased advocacy efforts and established 11 community protection committees to focus on preventing trafficking. In addition, the government established an office to investigate cybercrime, including cases involving trafficking. However, the government did not meet minimum standards in several key areas.”
The report noted that the government detected a small number of trafficking victims and did not allocate any funds for victim protection, relying instead on a single nongovernmental organization to provide all services for trafficking victims in the absence of government funding.
Lerato Nkhese, president of the Lesotho Migrant Workers Association, toldlesotho times They havedAccording to him, many victims who contacted the association reported that they were deceived into coming to South Africa with promises of jobs in the construction industry, only to be forced into illegal mining.
Mr Nxe noted that high unemployment in Lesotho has forced many men to migrate to South Africa in the hope of finding better opportunities.
“We have received many reports but I cannot give exact figures. Victims who have managed to escape their traffickers have told us that they were promised construction jobs in some towns in South Africa but were forced into illegal mining,” said Mr Nkese.
Mr. Nkese suggested that the government address the problem of illegal and unskilled Basotho male trafficking by opening training centres in Lesotho. These centres can equip Basotho with various skills that will enable them to compete for high-level positions in Lesotho water projects and make them more marketable in other countries.
He also advocated a labour export policy, noting that countries such as Australia needed sheep and goat shearers.
“The government can seize opportunities like this to train its unskilled citizens and send them to different countries instead of relying solely on South Africa for employment. Many herders and unskilled people will seize the opportunity to be trained in other countries to use machines for shearing sheep. This will not only reduce unemployment but also ensure that Basotho men are not trafficked in their rush to find work.
“The government should also consider signing memorandums of understanding with other countries to promote the export of labour so that Lesotho does not have to rely solely on South Africa for jobs.”
Thabo* (32 years old)lesotho timesdescribed how he and a friend were lured to South Africa in 2019 by an acquaintance who promised them construction jobs in Klerksdorp. They were told the pay was good and no documents were required.
Desperate for work, they migrated to South Africa without passports or work permits.
When they arrived at the Klerksdorp taxi stand, they were met by two men who claimed they had been ordered to take them to a place to spend the night before going back to work the next day.
“We were taken to a shed and told that our colleagues would join us tomorrow morning so that we could start work the next day. We were happy to finally be able to provide for our family.
“Around 3am, about four people came to the shed, two of whom were not Lesotho citizens. They told us to get up and go to work. When we asked why we had to work at that time, they threatened us and then moved us to an abandoned mine in Klerksdorp to work for our ‘boss’,” says Thabo*.
He revealed that they worked for almost three years without pay and all the money they earned was taken by the kidnappers. In 2022, they managed to escape after the police raided to arrest themsHe was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.
“If it weren’t for the police, I don’t know what would have become of us. After we were released from prison, we were sent back to Lesotho through the Maputo border with nothing,” he said.
Tabo* added that while some people working in the illegal mines voluntarily earned money, he and other trafficked people never received a penny from the group.
— To protect Tabo, we have not yet fully confirmed his identity
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