S. Africa's Zuma urges end to xenophobia violence

South African President Jacob Zuma has called for an end to the growing xenophobia violence that is gripping parts of the country.

"What is happening in our country is not acceptable," Zuma said in a message broadcast nationwide on public radio and television channels on Wednesday.

The violence has spread to Johannesburg where a number of foreign-owned shops were looted amid clashes between foreigners and local people earlier on Wednesday, leaving several people injured.

What happened in Johannesburg follows similar violence in several townships around the coastal city of Durban over the past few weeks.

The violence there has left five people dead and dozens injured. Hundreds of foreign-owned shops and foreigners' homes have been looted and thousands of foreigners displaced.

''I think this must stop now, because we cannot continue killing one another," Zuma said.

The latest spate of violence was sparked by complaints among local South Africans that some foreigners, they said, entered the country illegally, did illegal business, and took up local employment and some even commit crimes.

"We cannot accept that when there are challenges, we then use violence, particularly to our brothers and sisters from the same continent," Zuma said.

The foreigners under attack are mostly from Malawi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria and some other African countries.

Zuma said the government was aware of the "frustrations" South Africans had been voicing, and is working hard to find a way to create co-existence. Endi