Co-ordinated protests are taking place across the country and there is a heavy security presence in most cities

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Police officers have been deployed across South Africa because of fears that anti-immigration protests could turn violent as President Cyril Ramaphosa urged demonstrators to refrain from "intimidation, threats or ultimatums".

The protests mark an unofficial deadline set by campaigners for all undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

Many have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far. Most are from other African countries.

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One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was "happy to be going back" but "heartbroken" to be leaving behind four young children.

Johannesburg, where one of the protests is taking place, is unusually quiet. Shops in the city centre are closed, while police visibility is high on major streets.

Police said that five people were arrested in Johannesburg's biggest township, Soweto, for allegedly looting a foreign-owned shop.

Five people were also arrested for allegedly breaking into a tuck shop in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Many businesses in central Durban, the main city in the province, are also shut.

Ramaphosa met some of the protest leaders on the eve of the marches in a bid to defuse tensions.

📰 Source: BBC Africa