I recently had to renew my Visas for the     UK and the USA.  What impressed me was the very thorough way in which both the Consulates work and that they were both able to see me, approve and give me a 10 year Visa in one day!  I know of people who have been through the South African Embassy in Italy who have taken 2 or 3 weeks to get a Visa and that is also true of the Embassy in Moscow, Russia.  I understand a lot of people are obviously declined to visit the UK and the USA, and so they will not have the same positive feelings, but when something can be approved that quickly it is generally a sign of a well-run organisation and of course these countries are very aware the tourism is a vital part of their economy.  

In fact, tourism is far more important to South Africa than both of those countries who have many other parts of their economy that are running more smoothly and successfully than ours, and it should be South Africa that is approving Visas faster than anybody else and not making it difficult for foreigners to visit our country.  We need their money, we need foreign currency and we have so much to offer ranging from the beauty of Cape Town to the one feature that truly sets us apart from what tourists can get in their own country - and that is the Kruger National Park and the private game parks around it.  If you look at it from an external perspective, that is what sets South Africa apart from any other country and is a huge revenue driver for our country in terms of tourism.  We however have to make it easier for people to get their Visas approved and to get them approved far faster than we currently do.