As angry mobs continue to roam South Africa, hunting down immigrants, the government has pledged to do more to protect foreigners, including deploying the army. The police have seemed powerless against a rising tide of xenophobia in which 24 people have been killed. Locals blame the newcomers for stealing their jobs, but many analysts say the violence has been organised, at least in part, by criminal gangs.

Thousands of foreigners have sought protection in churches and police stations and make-shift refugee camps are getting bigger. President Thabo Mbeki has been criticised for not doing enough to calm the tension. He is seeking to allay that criticism by taking tougher measures.

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