About 156 people have been arrested for various crimes, during the anti-foreigners march in Pretoria.
South Africa’s National Police Chief Khomotso Phahlane says, the people were arrested for random acts of violence, looting and destruction of property.
It was unclear how many of those in custody were South Africans and how many are foreigners.
But the armed police had formed a barrier between citizens and non-nationals marching in Pretoria, when the crowd became unruly with both sides shouting at one another prompting the police to disperse the angry mobs.
Many shops were shuttered in Marabastad, an area situated in the west of the capital, where many foreign nationals have their stores, and roads were blocked as the protesters gathered.
Some of the foreigners carried rocks and sticks, saying they were ready to protect their stores.
The protest follows the looting this week of at least 20 small businesses believed to belong to Nigerian and Pakistani immigrants, in an area in west Pretoria.