Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Minister of Health Hon. Motlatsi Maqelepo said it has been brought to the attention of his office that South Africa’s (SA) Port Health officials do not recognise the COVID-19 Polymerise
Chain Reaction (PCR) certificates issued by Lesotho. This he said while addressing the press at the Ministry of Health (MoH) headquarters on Friday last week where he
disclosed that the query is reported to have begun from Thursday. This is despite the SA government having issued a directive that its incoming travellers upon arrival, should produce the PCR certificate clearing
them of the virus. The Minister, on the other hand, said the issue of Basotho having to cross to SA and being tested “does not sit well with them”. It
is alleged that the SA officials’ refuse to recognise the Lesotho issued PCR certificates because they have not been directed to do so by that country’s
Minister of Health. Maqelepo said the issue is on the table and receiving attention of the SA Minister of Health and the officials of that country whether to recognise these PCR certificates, adding that countries such as Mozambique
and Zimbabwe had made a similar request. Previously, the SA government had said, “travellers from all African countries must produce a 72 hour PCR test at all ports of
entry. School learners and educators, who commute daily to South Africa, are exempted from this requirement. However these daily commuters will be screened
for COVID-19 symptoms before they enter the country. ” He mentioned that his plans to have an audience with his SA counterpart always proved a futile exercise and the
efforts to engage both Lesotho and SA Ministers of Foreign Affairs had not produced the desired results. The Minister had instead held talks with the Free State Member of the Executive Committee (MEC)
for Health over the testing logistics over the borders; the meeting in which they had signed an agreement that was taken to the SA Minister of Health to approve
such working arrangements of the port health services. Last year in August the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Mathibelli Mokhothu led a delegation of Ministers in which Maqelepo was
part to discuss the bilateral issues of the two countries. It is in this engagements that the border movements between the two neighbours were featured but the
Health Minister hastened to say that his SA counterpart and his deputy were absent in this meeting but had liaised with that country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to relay his message to his
counterpart. Meanwhile these developments had resulted in Basotho sleeping at the borders and some unable to return to their workplaces. The Minister promised that they are going to mount the quarantine facilities for
those whose certificates have been declined, adding that the logistical arrangements to provide special transport to ferry them to their destinations are under way. The MoH’s Deputy Principal Secretary (DPS) Advocate Lesimole Moletsane said processes are in place to refund those who are being returned by SA.
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