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Violence for any reason against foreign nationals resident in South Africa will not be tolerated, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Thursday.
"We will not tolerate any threat or act of violence against any individual or sector of society, no matter what reasons are given to justify such threats or actions," he said.
"Government is closely monitoring these xenophobic threats by faceless criminals whose desire is to create anarchy.
"We want to assure society that our police are on the ground to thwart these evil acts," he said.
Mthethwa said that his department was aware that media and civil society organisations had over the past few weeks expressed concern about rumours that foreign nationals living in South Africa faced a threat of xenophobic violence after the end of the FIFA World Cup.
"According to these rumours, residents in certain parts of the country, with a concentration of foreign nationals, are providing a range of reasons why foreign nationals may be targeted."
Mthethwa, who chairs the recently-established InterMinisterial Committee on Xenophobia, strongly rejected any claim by any community that might seek to justify violence against foreign nationals.
"The intelligence arm of the police, supported by various community structures, has been hard at work investigating these allegations across the country.
"Security agencies are on high alert to ensure that threats and manifestations of violence against any individual or group are effectively addressed," Mthethwa said.
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