THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO STRENGTHEN TIES THROUGH NEW SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.

By Precious Mupenzi

• The Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in social development.
• The partnership between the two countries is not only strategic but vital.
• The MoU is more than just an agreement; it’s a practical tool for sharing knowledge, enhancing service delivery, and promoting social justice,” says Deputy Director-General of Welfare Services, Ms Siza Magangoe.

Maseru, Lesotho –In an effort to protect the lives of vulnerable children on the move between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho, the two countries have signed a revised MoU on cooperation in social development. The two countries had established a Bi-National Commission (BNC) in 2021 through their departments of social development. The signing took place during the 2nd Session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC), held from 22 to 23 April 2025 at the AVANI Hotel in Maseru.

South Africa and Lesotho had established a Bi-National Commission (BNC) in 2021 to enhance cooperation across key areas, including social development, economic growth, security, and stability. Lesotho, a small, mountainous, landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa, shared deep cultural, historical, and economic ties with its neighbour. While known for its scenic landscapes and rich traditions, Lesotho continued to face developmental challenges, particularly in delivering essential social services to its people. As a result, the partnership between the two countries was not only strategic but also vital. Over the years, Lesotho relied on South Africa for support in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and social development—underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts like the BNC to address shared challenges and improve the lives of vulnerable citizens.

President Cyril Ramaphosa led the South African delegation to the BNC, accompanied by Ministers from various departments, including the Minister of Social Development, Ms Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe. The BNC also featured a Council of Ministers meeting on 22 April 2025, chaired by the Minister of International Relations, Mr Ronald Lamola. Minister Tolashe was joined by the Deputy Director-General of Welfare Services, Ms Siza Magangoe, as they led the Social Development delegation to this important engagement.

The MoU, signed between South Africa’s Department of Social Development and Lesotho’s Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development, aimed to foster cooperation on a range of social development priorities, including services for older persons, youth empowerment, and capacity building. An earlier MoU signed in 2015 included areas such as international social services and adoptions, social assistance, and community development.

Speaking ahead of the BNC, Ms Magangoe reflected on the progress achieved under the previous MoU, particularly in addressing challenges affecting vulnerable children.

“One of the major focus areas had been what we now refer to as Children on the Move—these are unaccompanied minors crossing the border without documentation, adult supervision, or any traceable background. These children are highly vulnerable and were usually identified by border management or police.”

Ms Magangoe explained that, due to the ongoing nature of this issue in the Southern African region, South Africa had established cross-border forums to improve coordination. “We created bilateral forums with Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, which met quarterly to deal with these cases. We were also working on establishing a similar forum with Eswatini, which had taken longer due to cooperation challenges, but we were hopeful to have it in place by the end of the financial year,” she said.

The forums focused on real-time intervention, particularly during peak holiday seasons when incidents increased. “Our teams worked closely with these countries to trace families, ensure the safe repatriation of children, and in cases where immediate reunification was not possible, we provided care through Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs). We also coordinated with social workers in partner countries to support family reunification,” she explained.

Ms Magangoe also highlighted notable progress in adoption services, saying: “As far as adoption was concerned, we managed to process approximately 47 adoptions involving children from Lesotho. This was a significant milestone in our bilateral cooperation.”

However, she acknowledged that not all areas saw equal progress. “One of the areas where we hadn’t made significant strides was substance abuse, but this would form part of our new collaboration focus. We hoped to assist Lesotho, especially since they often relied on our services in this regard,” she said.

Ms Magangoe described the MoU as more than just an agreement: “It was a practical tool for sharing knowledge, enhancing service delivery, and promoting social justice. We were excited to formalise our collaboration with Lesotho in this important area. This partnership gave us an opportunity to co-develop solutions to common challenges and ensure that social services reached those who needed them most.”

She then turned her attention to the proposed areas of cooperation under the new MoU, emphasising the importance of building on the solid foundation already established.

“The first area was social protection,” she explained. “This involved both the Community Development and Social Security branches, which outlined their specific areas of focus. For the Welfare Services branch, we proposed to continue working in the area of child protection, including Children on the Move, child protection in emergencies, alternative care, and adoption. Essentially, we wanted to strengthen the work we had already started with Lesotho.”

Ms Magangoe further outlined new areas identified for collaboration, starting with HIV and AIDS programmes. “We would also work with Lesotho on HIV and AIDS, as well as care and services for older persons,” she said. “We had already begun some engagement in this area. For example, last year, we hosted a delegation from Lesotho to showcase our old-age homes and community-based care services. They didn’t yet have these services in place, so our role was to guide and support them as they began establishing similar services in their own country.”

Another key area was capacity building for social welfare professionals. “This was a need they raised with us—to assist in training their social workers, child and youth care workers, and others involved in welfare services,” Ms Magangoe stated. “Substance abuse was one of the core topics we had planned to cover in training sessions scheduled for January. Unfortunately, due to a funding cut by USAID, those plans were interrupted. However, we remained committed to finding alternative ways to deliver this support. South Africa was a continental leader in training and program development, and our trained professionals had been instrumental in helping other African countries build their systems.”

The final proposed area of collaboration was substance abuse treatment and prevention. Lesotho currently relied on South African facilities, particularly in the Thaba Nchu area, for services related to alcohol and drug abuse. These included demand reduction, rehabilitation, psychological support, and community reintegration strategies.

“They were currently using our treatment centres,” explained Ms Magangoe. “Going forward, we needed to formalise this arrangement in a way that ensured we could continue providing support without placing undue strain on our own resources. One option we were considering was to allocate a dedicated portion—perhaps five percent—of our available bed capacity specifically for their use. This would allow us to maintain a structured, manageable level of assistance while helping them strengthen their own response systems to substance abuse.”

The agreement followed a successful working visit by a delegation from Lesotho to South Africa in September 2024, where officials toured government-owned old age homes in Gauteng’s East Rand. The visit offered Lesotho a chance to witness first-hand how South Africa delivered care to older persons.

Ms Magangoe, who led the implementation of the MoU, reiterated: “This partnership gave us an opportunity to co-develop solutions to common challenges and ensure that social services reached those who needed them most.