The incident erupted after a Lesotho man stabbed a Zimbabwean in a tavern on Friday night, causing a fight to break out, said police captain Adele Myburgh.

Two shacks in the Bokfontein area were then set alight, she said.

Police responded and found a "chaotic" scene involving some 50 people, said Myburgh.

Police then fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Earlier reports said the incident appeared to be a "xenophobic" attack.

However, authorities were no longer considering it an anti-immigrant attack since they had determined it started after the incident between the Lesotho man and the Zimbabwean, Myburgh said.

A wave of violence that broke out in May saw foreigners being driven out of townships, mainly in Johannesburg, where residents accuse immigrants of taking jobs and blame them for high crime rates.

More than 60 people were killed in those attacks.

Nampa-AFP

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