South Africa's Western Cape is to ask for parts of the province to be declared a disaster zone in the wake of recent anti-foreigner violence

The provincial government also asked for UN help in dealing with the crisis. UN and Red Cross figures suggest more than 70,000 foreigners have fled the attacks with 33,000 fleeing to neighbouring nations. Aid agencies are pushing for a disaster zone to be declared around Johannesburg in Gauteng province, where the anti-foreigner attacks began. Most of the immigrants are still sheltering in community halls, churches and police stations and some are sleeping out in the open. In Gauteng, police clashed with mainly Somali migrants as they fought with other foreigners in a relief camp near the capital, Pretoria. The migrants blocked and attacked other foreigners trying to make their way from a makeshift camp to a new, tented camp.