South Africa's diplomats are not excluded from the UK's visa policy, Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Friday.

Speaking at a press briefing after her meeting with Business Unity South Africa (Busa) in Sandton, Dlamini-Zuma said all South African passport holders were required to apply for a UK Visa.

"All passports are affected," she said. "There is no one who is unaffected.

Dlamini-Zuma said the her department had asked the UK government whether there was a problem with any South African diplomatic or official passports.

"They said it is just policy, that once they introduce a visa they do it across the board," she said.

She said the UK visas were a concern to her department.

"It is a concern that our citizens are required to have a problem, not only diplomats. So whatever we do we have to make sure that it is corrected."

The department was looking to change a number of its processes to turn around service delivery as well as to increase security.

"We have no choice to turn around as quickly and effectively as possible. We can only do that with the help and partnerships with stakeholders," she said.

"We should be working together with business to create a better balance. We should be able to help every bank to know who the person in front of them is."

She explained that banks should know that the Identity document they have before them was genuine, and not a forged one with the person's photo inserted.

She South Africa should also be looking at its permit system for students and foreign workers.

"We have to create an environment where scarce skills can come into South Africa easily and contribute to the economy."

There was no reason why foreign students, business people and people with scarce skills should not to get work permits in their country of residence. The department was looking at extending the working permits of people with scarce skills to five years.

"If I was a scarce skill I would want to know that if I go to a country I'll be able to get a permit that will last me for five years and not to have to chase the permit every year," she said.

Zuma said the department of home affairs would also address the issue of economic immigrants who come to South Africa for work, but apply for asylum.

"That route has become ridiculous. Last year for instance we had over 100 000 people seeking asylum but only 10 000 qualified," she said.

The people who did not qualify were not asylum seekers, but only wanted to come to "greener pastures".

She said the department was working with the SADC to create system of free movement for SADC members, as well as a univisa for SADC.

"That is ideal. We should have free movement of people, goods, capital within SADC and South Africa is for that," she said.

However all SADC countries must know their population for that to work, while preserving the security of the region.

She said there was pressure to issue a univisa for SADC for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"We have no problem with it, as long as we issue the visa because people will be coming here. That's where 2010 is, then the visa can be used to enter other countries if they so wish. I think it would be a good idea."

"But we should be satisfied that the systems are in place to have a univisa," said Dlaimin-Zuma.

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