Police will act against violence targeting foreign nationals in the country, the presidency has said

South Africa is a welcoming country and attempts to brand it xenophobic over ongoing protests targeting foreign nationals amount to a “lazy analysis” of tensions linked to crime and illegal immigration, Pretoria has said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, made the remarks on Wednesday amid growing concern from other African governments over anti-immigrant demonstrations and reported attacks on their citizens in South Africa.

“Any characterization of this protest that seeks to portray South Africans as xenophobic is actually lazy sort of analysis of the real issues that are at play here,” Magwenya told reporters.

“What you have are pockets of protest, which is permissible within our constitutional framework,” he said, adding that “the issue of immigration is a pressure point” not only in South Africa, but “throughout the world where protests are held on these issues.”

He said South…