Maseru — Applicants at Maseru Passport Office faced long queues on Monday morning as many rushed to secure travel documents before returning to work in South Africa this week.
Mr. Tebello Mosololi told the Independent that he had slept outside the office gate on Sunday night, hoping to get served early, but spent about four hours queuing. He said the slow service and prioritisation of mineworkers added to his frustration.
Ms. Limakatso Matlali called on the Department of Home Affairs to improve service delivery, noting that the end-of-year period sees a surge in passport applications. She added that although services are available on weekends, they remain slow.
Department of Home Affairs Public Relations Officer Mrs. ‘Marelebohile Mothibeli said services started at 6:00 am and that long queues were expected as many Basotho prepare to return to work in South Africa. She said the department had extended working hours and introduced weekend shifts to manage the peak period.
Mrs. Mothibeli reminded the public that the office caters not only for passport applications but also for collections and other immigration services.
A standard passport costs M130, an urgent passport M630, a lost passport carries a penalty of M300, while a destroyed passport is charged M430.
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