South Africa's Ramaphosa vows crackdown on xenophobia

South Africa will crack down on groups behind xenophobic violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday, as anti-immigrant protests tarnish the country's reputation.



Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique are repatriating some of their citizens caught up in the protests, which have sometimes turned violent.



Mozambique has said five of its citizens were killed.



"We will act against forces who are exploiting the concerns of our people about illegal immigration to further their own political, personal and criminal agendas," Ramaphosa said in a televised address, without specifying the actions.



"We will and must not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilize our country through inciting lawlessness and violence," he added.



Xenophobic attacks are a recurring problem in South Africa, where immigrants are often blamed for economic woes such as high unemployment and crime.



Defenders of migrants say such accusations are unfair and exploited by populist politicians.