Prolonged food insecurity in Lesotho, exacerbated by climate change impacts such as floods and droughts, has led to Basotho men being trafficked into illegal mining by organized crime syndicates operating in South Africa.
According to the recently released 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: Lesotho by the United States government, undocumented Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa in search of employment are often exploited in derelict and unregulated gold mines.
The report also reveals that traffickers force these men to commit crimes in South Africa, including theft, drug trafficking, and smuggling, under threats of violence.
"Climate change, including slow-onset climate events such as flooding and droughts, has impacted agricultural production and food security, increasing vulnerabilities to trafficking. Increased unemployment due to factory closures drives some Basotho citizens to enter South Africa while undocumented, making them more vulnerable to trafficking," the report noted.
The report further stated that while the government of Lesotho does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, it is making significant efforts to do so and has demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period.
"The government increased prosecutions of alleged traffickers and funding for anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. It also ramped up efforts to raise awareness of trafficking and established 11 community-based protection committees focused on trafficking prevention. Moreover, the government established an office to investigate cybercrime, including cases involving human trafficking. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas," the report highlighted.
The report pointed out that the government identified fewer trafficking victims and did not allocate any funding for victims' protection, instead relying on a single NGO to provide all services to trafficking victims without sufficient government funding.
Lerato Nkhese, Director of the Migrant Workers Association of Lesotho, told the Lesotho Times they had received numerous reports about Basotho men being trafficked into illegal mining. According to him, many victims who have contacted their association reported that they were lured to South Africa with promises of work in the construction sector, only to be forced into illegal mining.
Mr Nkhese noted that high unemployment in Lesotho drives many men to migrate to South Africa in hopes of finding better opportunities.
"We have received many reports, although I cannot provide an exact number. The victims who managed to escape their traffickers told us that they were promised construction work in some South African towns, only to be coerced into illegal mining," Mr Nkhese said.
Mr Nkhese suggested that the government could address the trafficking of undocumented and unskilled Basotho men by opening training centres in Lesotho. These centres could equip Basotho with various skills, enabling them to compete for high positions in Lesotho's water projects and making them more marketable in other countries.
He also advocated the implementation of a Labour Export Policy, noting that countries like Australia are in need of sheep and goat shearers.
"The government can seize such opportunities and train its unskilled citizens to be deployed in different countries, instead of relying solely on South Africa for employment. Many herd boys and unskilled individuals would jump at the opportunity to be trained in livestock shearing using machinery in other countries. This would not only reduce the unemployment rate but also ensure that Basotho men are not trafficked out of desperation for work.
"The government should also consider signing memorandums of understanding with other countries to facilitate labour export so that Lesotho does not have to depend exclusively on South Africa for employment."
Thabo* (32) recounted his experience to the Lesotho Times, describing how he and a friend were lured to South Africa in 2019 by an acquaintance who promised them construction work in Klerksdorp. They were told they would be well-paid and that no documentation was necessary.
Due to their desperation for jobs, they migrated to South Africa without passports or work permits.
Upon arrival at the Klerksdorp taxi rank, they were met by two men who claimed they had been instructed to take them to a place where they would spend the night before starting work the next day.
"We were taken to a shack where we were told that our workmates would join us in the morning so that we could report to work the following day. We were excited that we would finally be able to provide for our families.
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"Around 3am, about four people arrived at the shack, two of whom were not Lesotho citizens. We were told to wake up and go to work. When we asked why we had to go to work at that hour, we were threatened and then moved to one of the abandoned mines in Klerksdorp to work for our 'bosses'," Thabo* said.
He revealed that they worked for almost three years without pay, with everything they earned taken by their captors. They managed to escape in 2022 after a police raid led to their arrests and subsequent imprisonment for two years.
"If it weren't for the police, I don't know what would have become of us. After being released from prison, we were deported back to Lesotho via the Maputsoe border with nothing to our names," he said.
Thabo* added that while some people working in illegal mines voluntarily make money, he and his fellow trafficked counterparts never received a cent from the syndicate.
--We have not fully identified Thabo for his own protection
