Minister of Police Bheki Cele has warned that they are clamping down on people behind the attacks against foreign nationals and the looting of shops in Gauteng.
The police had by Wednesday arrested nearly 300 people for the incidents.
Cele denied claims by some opposition parties that the xenophobic attacks were part of the revenge attacks on the police in Joburg a few weeks ago.
He also denied the police there ran away, but retreated.
He said the attacks against foreign nationals were not xenophobic attacks, but criminality as some of the shops looted were South African-owned.
“From the side of the police we are looking at the criminality of the matter rather than xenophobic of the matter.
“It’s the criminality that is affecting all the shops. We have by this morning arrested 280 people for getting involved in such activities,” said Cele.
Police Minister Bheki Cele. File image
He said they hope they will be able to contain the situation and prevent any further flare-ups.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Kabiru Bala, said attacks against African nationals have implications for the international relations between countries, especially when their nationals are victims.
He said South Africa and Nigeria cannot afford to allow xenophobia to affect the relations between the two countries, particularly when the World Economic Forum currently underway in Cape Town is supposed to be discussing greater levels of trade and integration on the African continent.
“The GDP of South Africa and Nigeria together is probably 50% of the GDP of the whole continent,” he said.
He said Nigerians are the second largest group of foreign nationals in South Africa after Zimbabweans, and much of the violence against them goes unreported.