By Nellie Peyton
JOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - A surge in attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa is damaging the country's global image and fuelling a backlash against businesses and artists, the justice minister has warned.
Speaking at a briefing on Sunday, Mmamoloko Kubayi called for South Africans to reject vigilantism and let the government handle illegal immigration through the proper channels.
South Africa has in recent weeks seen a wave of protests and attacks against other African nationals, some of whom are in the country legally, as anti-immigrant groups blame them for high unemployment and crime.
"A majority of South African artists perform on the continent, and many of them are seeing their gigs being cancelled," Kubayi said, without naming specific artists.
She also said the government was offering support to South African companies abroad that have been affected by the backlash.
"We do believe that it can not only hurt the brand, but can hurt our social cohesion," she said, noting that even some South African citizens had been targeted by anti-immigrant groups because of how they looked or spoke.
Xenophobic sentiment is a recurring issue in South Africa, and has been amplified by politicians seeking support ahead of local elections in November.
Several countries, including Ghana, Malawi and Mozambique, have repatriated nationals over safety concerns. Malawi said on Monday it was bringing hundreds more citizens home by bus from the city of Durban.
"It is profoundly heartbreaking to witness another surge of xenophobic violence in #SouthAfrica," wrote World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X, calling it a "tragic betrayal" of the African nations that supported South Africa during the struggle against apartheid.
He said that five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans had been killed in attacks.
South Africa's foreign ministry disputed that account, saying that the deaths of the Ethiopians were due to organised crime, not xenophobic violence. The deaths of the Mozambicans are under investigation, it said.
"We deeply regret the tragic loss of life in these recent incidents, as one life lost is simply one too many," said foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri.
(Reporting by Nellie Peyton;Editing by Ros Russell)
