Lesotho: Parliament okays dual citizenship
Published: 22/Sep/2018
Source: Lesotho Times
’Marafaele Mohloboli
PARLIAMENT this week approved the eight amendment to the constitution to allow for dual citizenship.
Home Affairs minister Tsukutlane Au welcomed the constitutional amendment, saying dual citizenship will economically benefit the country as this would allow many Basotho in the diaspora to freely invest in the country as fully-fledged citizens.
The new law will enable Basotho to regain their citizenship after renouncing it in favour of that of other countries like South Africa which is said to be a home to more than 400 000 people of Sotho origin.
Law and Public Safety Cluster Committee chairperson, Lekhetho Mosito, recently told the Lesotho Times that thousands of Basotho who went to South Africa in search of economic opportunities later acquired citizenship in that country. He said some of those people wanted to return to Lesotho upon retiring but there was a stumbling block in that the laws of Lesotho did not allow for dual citizenship.
He further said that legalising dual citizenship would not only fulfil such people’s dreams to return home but also give them the opportunity to invest in Lesotho and boost the economy.
His comments were this echoed by Mr Au who said that “for a long time, Lesotho has invested in its people’s education but they end up leaving the country to find better jobs in other countries thus leaving us with a loss when they take up other countries’ citizenships”.
Read further: http://www.lestimes.com/parliament-okays-dual-citizenship/