In the wake of a convulsion of violence against foreigners, international relief officials said Wednesday that South African authorities are planning to establish refugee camps to house tens of thousands of displaced people who had fled their homes in impoverished squatter areas, but the government contended that no decision had been made yet.
The Cabinet's decision on whether to set up the camps will be announced today, according to a statement issued by the government.
Initially, the camps would house 11,000 people who are now being sheltered near police stations scattered around South Africa.
Muriel Cornelis, a representative in Johannesburg for Doctors Without Borders, said the authorities had promised a decision by Wednesday night on the proposal, which could eventually provide shelter for as many as 70,000 people.
More than 50 people were killed in the attacks, which began near Johannesburg earlier this month and spread to other places including Cape Town. The authorities in neighboring Mozambique declared a state of emergency to cope with thousands of their citizens returning unexpectedly.
Even during the apartheid era, South Africa's mineral wealth attracted thousands of migrants from black-ruled countries like Malawi and Mozambique to work in the mines. But, since the dawn of majority rule in the 1990s, the country has been a magnet for foreigners from as far away as Somalia, drawn to South Africa as their own countries descend into chaos.
In addition, as many as 3 million Zimbabweans have fled their country to look for work in South Africa, provoking the resentment of some South Africans.