South African President Thabo Mbeki has condemned the "shameful and criminal" violence against foreigners that has left at least 22 dead.
Some 6,000 people, many of them Zimbabweans, have fled in the wave of violence directed at immigrants mainly around Johannesburg.
Mr Mbeki said police would get "to the root of the anarchy".
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Many have sought refuge in police stations, churches and community halls.
'Sisters and brothers'
Mr Mbeki said in a statement: "Citizens from other countries on the African continent and beyond are as human as we are and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."
He said more than 200 people had already been arrested, adding: "I am confident that the police will soon make significant breakthroughs in getting to the root of this anarchy."
He thanked members of the public and security forces who had helped the affected immigrants.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu echoed Mr Mbeki's call for the violence to stop.
"These are our sisters and brothers," he said.
Much of the violence is said to stem from anger at the lack of employment, housing and schools.
"This is a classic refugee situation," Rachel Cohen from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told the BBC.
Burnt to death
Over the weekend, correspondents say central Johannesburg resembled a war-zone, as armed police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse angry crowds.
"If we go back into the streets, they're going to kill us there," one Zimbabwean man seeking sanctuary in a police station told the BBC.
Some Zimbabweans say they will go home, despite the political violence there, rather than face attacks in South Africa.
The front pages of several South African newspapers on Monday showed a horrific image of a man being burnt to death.
A church where about 1,000 Zimbabweans took refuge was attacked over the weekend.
Bishop Paul Veryn of the Central Methodist Church which was attacked told SABC radio: "We consider that the situation is getting so serious that the police can no longer control it."
He called for a state of emergency to be declared.
MSF spokesman Eric Goemaere said: "This reminds me of a refugee situation. I have treated bullet wounds, beaten people, rape victims, and the people are terrified."
The attacks on foreigners began a week ago in the township of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, before spreading to the city centre and across the Gauteng region.
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(BBC)
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