Thousands of people marched across South Africa on Tuesday, demanding the deportation of undocumented migrants and tougher immigration laws, as anti-immigrant groups staged coordinated demonstrations following a months-long campaign that has fuelled fears of renewed xenophobic violence.

The protests, organized by vigilante groups and civic organizations, were held in major cities including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town after campaigners issued a June 30 ultimatum calling on undocumented migrants to leave the country.

The groups accuse migrants of taking jobs by accepting lower wages in a country where the official unemployment rate stands at around 32%.

They also blame them for rising crime, overcrowding public hospitals and schools, and competing with South Africans in the informal economy.

Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans not to scapegoat migrants for the country's economic and social challenges.

"Addressing these challenges requires practical solutions, not the scapegoating of vulnerable people," Ramaphosa said in a statement.

In the port city of Durban, protesters dressed in traditional Zulu attire marched through the city carrying sticks and shields while chanting "abahambe" – an isiZulu phrase meaning "let them go."

In Cape Town, a group of activists opposed to the anti-immigrant protests carried placards calling for nonviolence.

"No African can be illegal in Africa. We need to unite as workers in Africa," Shaheed Mahomed of the Siyafuna Sonke Action campaign told Anadolu by telephone.

He said migrants have long been part of South Africa's struggle and urged Black workers not to turn against one another, arguing that their real enemy is imperialism and capitalism.

In Johannesburg, more than 4,000 demonstrators marched through the city centrer toward the densely populated inner-city neighborhood of Hillbrow, which is home to large migrant communities.

"Enough is enough. We have tolerated them for long. It's time for them to go home – abahambe, let them go," taxi driver Malumee Yohanes told Anadolu.

A heavy police presence accompanied the march as businesses across Johannesburg's central business district remained closed amid fears of violence and looting.

The exact number of undocumented migrants in South Africa remains disputed, although anti-immigration groups estimate there are more than 3 million living in the country of about 65 million people.

Many foreign nationals earn a living in the informal economy, operating shops, street stalls and textile businesses.

Most migrants are from African countries and Asia, particularly Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, although those targeted in the current violence have overwhelmingly been Africans.

Authorities deployed hundreds of police officers nationwide ahead of the demonstrations after rights groups warned in recent days that anti-immigrant rhetoric risked triggering a fresh wave of xenophobic violence.

Police said no violence or injuries had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon.

Several African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, have already repatriated citizens amid rising tensions.

Leaders of the anti-immigration campaign are expected to present a list of demands to government officials later Tuesday. Anadolu Agency