At least 24 dead in S African violence

At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured in a wave of attacks on foreigners in South Africa's impoverished townships.

Several foreigners, mostly from African neighbours such as Zimbabwe, have been burnt to death while women have been raped and scores of shops and homes looted.

More than 200 people have been arrested since the violence erupted on May 11 in Alexandra township where angry mobs beat immigrants and set their shacks alight in scenes reminiscent of apartheid era violence.

Hundreds of immigrants - accused by many in the townships of taking jobs and fuelling the high rate of violent crime - have taken refuge in police stations, churches and government offices as violent gangs armed with sticks, rocks and knives roamed the streets.

South Africa is now home to an estimated 5 million immigrants - including around 3 million from Zimbabwe who have fled economic collapse and the violent political stand-off since disputed March 29 elections.

The unrest is an embarrassment for South Africa, whose population of 50 million has been inflated by foreigners from poorer countries who are lured by work in mines, farms and homes as well as one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.

But having vaunted its tolerance since the end of apartheid, the unrest is an indicator of growing disaffection among the country's poor over President Thabo Mbeki's pro-business policies.

The African National Congress said the situation is now coming under control after it sent officials into townships to appeal for an end to the attacks. Police also increased their deployment to trouble spots.

"The situation is being managed. Many ANC people are on the ground...and things are quietening down," ANC spokeswoman Jesse Duarte said.

However, the situation is likely to hurt growth in the country's key tourism sector, a government minister warned.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said: "Africans increasingly travel to South Africa as a holiday destination and these attacks have the potential to certainly impact negatively on that market if this is what people see on their screens and hear on their radios. We are quite concerned about the effects of those attacks."

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