The tensions in Gauteng are being fueled by anti-foreigner sentiments that have pervaded the province for years.

Sociology lecturer at the University of Johannesburg Dr Trevor Ngwane, says that figures like former Mayor Herman Mashabe had previously heightened the distrust between locals and foreign nationals.

Ngwane says that the reasons for this discrimination are baseless.

He says that foreign nationals go for low-end jobs and do not pose a threat to South Africans.

Despite this, they remain the most vulnerable group in the country.

He says that foreign nationals cannot be blamed for the inequality inherited from Apartheid, capitalism, and slavery.