At around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, South African police entered a Cape Town neighborhood notorious for gang violence.
It was one of several nationwide raids, in response to last month's attacks on foreigners in the country, officials said in a statement. Accompanied by the military, police stalked between apartment buildings, arresting 39 people for crimes ranging from robbery to drug possession, according to a police statement.
National police authorities said about 4,000 people were arrested as part of the sweep, including 1,650 foreigners living in the country illegally. Authorities also deported undocumented immigrants arrested during the raids.
The sweeping raids began at the end of April in response to the violence targeting foreign migrants, in which seven people were killed. South African officials condemned the violence. The government is trying to address issues at the root of tension between immigrants and locals, according to a government state
