Africa-Press – Lesotho. Following the resistance by the Ministry of Labour and Employment to renew their work contracts, the two immigrants working at Baylor College of Medicine have challenged this move.
Member of Parliament Hon. ‘Matlhohonolofatso Tšepang Tšita-Mosena on Thursday last week asked the Minister of Employment and Labour to apprise the house on the developments regarding Molarisi Mehale, an
employee of Baylor whom the Ministry had denied work permit as there are Basotho who hold similar qualifications. Hon. Mosena also sought to establish
the steps taken regarding the unlawful employment of Motshidisi Ramadi whose work permit was also declined. The duo is South African nationals. Replying on behalf of the Minister of
Labour and Employment, Hon. Likopo Mahase said that the duo have since petitioned the Ministry at Labour Court challenging the Ministry’s refusal to renew their employment contracts.
According to the Lesotho Labour Code, foreign nationals or expatriates can only be sourced in the event that there exist no similar or better skills set in the country.
Also the Labour Code states that no foreigner should work in the country without a work permit, and no employer should grant a job to a foreign national that does not have a work
permit. On the contrary Baylor Lesotho and the duo disregarded the law as the duo worked before they received Ministry of Labour’s permission on their applications.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) are the funding agencies for Baylor Lesotho. Asked for the comment, the Embassy said: “The U.
S Embassy refers you to the Ministry of Labor and Employment regarding their engagement in this case involving the employment of South African nationals locally.
We have no further comment. ” Hon. Mosena’s persistent concern, as indicated by the Ministry is that the duo only have Bachelor of Arts (Bas) in Social Work and no exceptional work experience that does not exist in the
country. Also, in line with the country’s HIV Sustainability Efforts and Global Strategy for Human Resources for Health: 2030, Lesotho is to reduce its
dependency on foreign born workforce by more than half, and this move for the due is directly opposing this policy direction. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Office Hon. Likopo Mahase said the duo are outside of work pending the finalisation of their case. However, Hon. Mosena rose on point of order saying the Minister was misleading the House as the petitioners remain in
work to date. Asked to ascertain the authenticity of Mosena’s allegations, Hon. Mahase conceded that he was misleading the house. Deputy Speaker Lebohang Ramohlanka
asked him to retract his statement that Mehale and Ramadi are disengaged from work pending the finalisation of their court application to review the Ministry’s decision.
The Attorney General has filed the counter applications. When asked to comment on the feedback Hon. Mosena replied that she is not satisfied that the duo is still at work
despite clear laws that restrict them, and it seems the foreigners are taking advantage of a system that allows for cases to drag for too long at the expense of Basotho over foreign nationals. She is intently following the case developments.
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