BBC: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police officers have been deployed across South Africa because of fears that anti-immigration protests could turn violent as President Cyril Ramaphosa urged demonstrators to refrain from “intimidation, threats or ultimatums”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protests mark an unofficial deadline set by campaigners for all undocumented foreigners to leave the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far. Most are from other African countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was “happy to be going back” but “heartbroken” to be leaving behind four young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Police said the protests were largely peaceful across the country, with isolated incidents of looting and attempted looting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johannesburg, where one of the protests is taking place, is unusually quiet. Shops in the city centre are closed, while police visibility is high on major streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some protesters threw bricks, breaking the windows of some flats in Yeoville, a suburb in Johannesburg where many African migrants live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police said that five people were arrested in Johannesburg’s biggest township, Soweto, for allegedly looting a foreign-owned shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five people were also arrested for allegedly breaking into a tuck shop in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many businesses in central Durban, the main city in the province, are also shut. A police helicopter has been circling the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa met some of the protest leaders on the eve of the marches in a bid to defuse tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has repeatedly warned demonstrators to act peacefully, while also accepting the need for immigration reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n