Thursday’s demonstration turned violent following allegations that a overseas national had assaulted one of the protesters in Durban.
Three overseas nationals were arrested in connection with the alleged assault, police said.
In Durban, in the jap province of KwaZulu-Natal, protesters gathered outside a authorities refugee reception centre demanding that it stop accepting asylum functions.
Police fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds as companies in the metropolis centre shut their doorways.
“There were clashes between foreign nationals in the area and South African nationals,” senior native police officer Xolani Fihla instructed state broadcaster SABC.
“At the present moment, I can confirm that no injuries have been reported,” he added.
Police said 14 autos were torched in Durban and 10 in Soweto, where gunshots were also reported during confrontations between residents and overseas shopkeepers.
Acting national police commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane condemned the destruction of property.
In Orlando West, a neighbourhood of Soweto, residents had initially gathered to demand the closure of small comfort shops, recognized regionally as spaza outlets, operated by overseas nationals.
Protesters compelled overseas merchants out of some areas, while outlets were attacked and a building was set on fire, native media reported.
Police said reinforcements had been deployed to forestall further violence.
The authorities have promised to pursue those accountable for the destruction.
The newest unrest follows a July ruling by South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest court, which struck down restrictions stopping some people from searching for asylum because of how they entered the nation or missed immigration deadlines.
The judgment means asylum seekers must be allowed to submit functions, even if they entered South Africa without the required paperwork.
It has prompted tons of of people to collect at refugee reception centres, fuelling anger among anti-immigration campaigners who worry the determination will encourage undocumented migration.
Government spokesman William Baloyi instructed Reuters information company that people had intentionally unfold false claims about the judgment, creating the impression that undocumented migrants would mechanically be granted legal standing.
Baloyi insisted that the ruling does not mechanically give migrants refugee standing or the proper to stay completely in South Africa.
Officials say functions will still be assessed individually and candidates will stay subject to immigration checks.
Earlier this 12 months, anti-immigration teams staged weeks of demonstrations demanding that undocumented overseas nationals depart the nation by 30 June.
The protests compelled tens of hundreds of migrants to flee, with some returning home through repatriation programmes organised by their governments.
South Africa has struggled with xenophobic attacks for almost twenty years. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed and tens of hundreds displaced during widespread attacks on overseas nationals.
The newest unrest comes against a backdrop of widespread poverty, deep inequality and unemployment affecting roughly a third of the workforce.
Migrants are incessantly accused of taking jobs, contributing to crime and putting strain on public companies, although researchers say such sweeping claims are not supported by evidence.
Despite its financial difficulties, South Africa stays one of the continent’s principal locations for migrants searching for employment, security and higher alternatives.
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