Thousands of people have marched in South Africa's main cities to demand that all undocumented migrants leave the country.
Police officers - backed by private security guards - have been deployed because of fears that protests could turn violent.Â
Anti-migrant groups had set Tuesday 30th June as the deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa unharmed.
Many foreigners have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far mostly from other African countries.
The Ministry of Police said the protests have largely been peaceful across the country, with isolated incidents of looting and attempted looting.
In Johannesburg, the financial capital, shops in the city centre were closed, while police visibility was high on major streets.
The military has been deployed in Hillbrow, a suburb in Johannesburg where many African migrants live, following reports of a teenager being shot and a car being torched.
Some protesters threw bricks, breaking the windows of some homes in Yeoville, another suburb where many African migrants live.
Police said they had arrested five people for the alleged looting of a foreign-owned shop in Johannesburg's biggest township, Soweto.
About 10 people were also arrested for looting in KwaZulu-Natal province, while a woman was arrested for assaulting a police officer and a man for "intimidation" following reports of a foreign national being beaten up, police said.
Businesses in central Durban, the main city in the province, were also shut.
Protesters handed over a memorandum listing their demands to government officials in Durban and Johannesburg.
The leader of anti-migrant group March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, said they would protest every Thursday for the next six months to force the government to "get rid of" undocumented migrants who were still in South Africa.
There are more than three million documented foreign nationals in South Africa, according to official figures.
Police said that about 50,000 migrants had been arrested since January for being in the country illegally.
Many African migrants moved to South Africa around the time white-minority rule ended in 1994, hoping for a better life.
But with South Africa facing an unemployment rate of more than 30%, anti-migrant sentiments have risen.
Nigeria flew out 269 of its citizens on the eve of the protests, bringing to around 600 the number evacuated so far to the West African nation. More evacuations are expected to take place in the coming days.
Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have also been repatriating their citizens by plane or bus.
Many foreigners have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far mostly from other African countries.
The Ministry of Police said the protests have largely been peaceful across the country, with isolated incidents of looting and attempted looting.
In Johannesburg, the financial capital, shops in the city centre were closed, while police visibility was high on major streets.
The military has been deployed in Hillbrow, a suburb in Johannesburg where many African migrants live, following reports of a teenager being shot and a car being torched.
Some protesters threw bricks, breaking the windows of some homes in Yeoville, another suburb where many African migrants live.
Police said they had arrested five people for the alleged looting of a foreign-owned shop in Johannesburg's biggest township, Soweto.
About 10 people were also arrested for looting in KwaZulu-Natal province, while a woman was arrested for assaulting a police officer and a man for "intimidation" following reports of a foreign national being beaten up, police said.
Businesses in central Durban, the main city in the province, were also shut.
Protesters handed over a memorandum listing their demands to government officials in Durban and Johannesburg.
The leader of anti-migrant group March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, said they would protest every Thursday for the next six months to force the government to "get rid of" undocumented migrants who were still in South Africa.
There are more than three million documented foreign nationals in South Africa, according to official figures.
Police said that about 50,000 migrants had been arrested since January for being in the country illegally.
Many African migrants moved to South Africa around the time white-minority rule ended in 1994, hoping for a better life.
But with South Africa facing an unemployment rate of more than 30%, anti-migrant sentiments have risen.
Nigeria flew out 269 of its citizens on the eve of the protests, bringing to around 600 the number evacuated so far to the West African nation. More evacuations are expected to take place in the coming days.
Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have also been repatriating their citizens by plane or bus.
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