Harare — CONSULTANCY firms specialising in visa applications are likely to be the biggest losers following South Africa's lifting of visa restrictions on Zimbabweans wishing to visit that country.

Many travellers preferred to obtain SA visas through consultancy firms to avoid the long queues at the embassy.

Apart from consultants, courier companies, among them Fedex, DHL and Swift had diversified into visa applications.

There was a surge in the number of visitors to South Africa, especially after 1999, and this was matched by a rise in the number of consultants.

Besides consultancy agencies, there sprouted middlemen who dealt with the visa applications.

Consultants charged between 100 and 250 rand for a single application, in addition to funds equivalent to travellers' cheques worth 2000 rand.

Some charged a commission for processing the papers, which was usually the percentage of the value of the travellers' cheques.

On the other hand, street middlemen with connections at the SA embassy would demand between US$100 and US$150 as service fees.

While these agencies may continue processing visa applications for other countries such as the United Kingdom, the largest number came from SA.

A middleman, identifying himself only as Gambe, said the latest immigration regulation change between Zimbabwe and South Africa, was a "hard blow to my business".

"This is how I have been surviving. On a good day, I could process up to 10 visas at a cost of US$100 each and the visa would come out in 24 hours," he said.

SA Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Monday announced Zimbabweans travelling to her country were no longer required to have visas.

The minister said Zimbabwean no longer needed to apply and pay for visas before travelling to SA.

Instead, they can apply for a free 90-day visitor's permit at the border.

Zimbabwean citizens could also apply to do casual work while in South Africa, she said.