Some human rights groups have called on the South African government to take strong action on its citizens involved in a recent flare-up of xenophobic violence in the country.

The groups, African Diaspora Forum and Human Rights Watch (HRW) are calling for urgent investigations, arrests and prosecution of persons believed to be behind the attacks which were carried out between March 25 and April 2 this year.

“Apart from its call for an end to attacks on foreign nationals, the South African government has done little to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

“Strong action is needed to show there are consequences for such acts before there is another round of violence against vulnerable foreign nationals,” the groups said in a statement.

“Re-integration of foreign nationals into communities without justice and accountability for past xenophobic attacks is a recipe for disaster.

“To deter those who attack foreign nationals, there is an urgent need for effective policing, arrests and prosecutions,” Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa Director at HRW said.

Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressly condemned the attacks, the groups maintained that they were even more concerned that the violence came amid rising political tension as the country goes to the polls on May 8.