Lesotho's 13.5% share of deportations in 2019/20 tripled to 39% the following year, and the number of deportations to the landlocked nation grew from 3,963 to 5,769.
IFP MP Inkosi Bhekizizwe Luthuli asked Motsoaledi about levels of illegal immigration and the breakdown by nationality.
In his reply, the minister said citizens of 48 countries were deported in 2019/20. Undocumented people from only 32 countries were deported in 2020/21.
Even though they share land borders with SA, Namibia and Botswana contributed only 27 deportations between them in 2020/21.
SA's other landlocked neighbour, Eswatini, doubled deportations from 314 in 2019/20 to 622 during the year under lockdown.
TimesLIVE