Thousands of anti-migrant protesters march in South Africa amid heavy police presence

Thousands of people have marched in South Africa's main cities to demand that all undocumented migrants leave the country.

Police officers - backed by private security guards - have been deployed because of fears that protests could turn violent. Anti-migrant groups had set Tuesday as the deadline for undocumented migrants to leave.

Many foreigners have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far. Most are from other African countries.

One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was "happy to be going back" but "heartbroken" to be leaving behind four young children.

The Ministry of Police said the protests have largely been peaceful across the country, with isolated incidents of looting and attempted looting.

In Johannesburg, the financial capital, shops in the city centre were closed, while police visibility is high on major streets.

Some protesters threw bricks, breaking the windows of some homes in Yeoville, a suburb in Johannesburg where many African migrants live.

In a neighbourhood in Germiston, about 15km (nine miles) from Johannesburg, demonstrators went to homes, evicting residents they suspected were foreign nationals and handing them over to police officers, insisting they check their documentation, local media report.

Police said they had arrested five people for the alleged looting of a foreign-owned shop in Johannesburg's biggest township, Soweto.

About 10 people were also arrested for looting in KwaZulu-Natal province, while a woman was arrested for assaulting a police officer and a man for "intimidation" following reports of a foreign national being beaten up, police said.

Businesses in central Durban, the main city in the province, were also shut.

Protesters handed over a memorandum listing their demands to government officials in Durban and Johannesburg.

The leader of anti-migrant group March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, said they would protest every Thursday for the next six months to force the government to "get rid of" undocumented migrants who were still in South Africa.

A demonstrator - who is part of another anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula - told the BBC they would "push the police to do their" job if undocumented migrants did not leave.

President Cyril Ramaphosa met some of the protest leaders on the eve of Tuesday's marches to defuse tensions.

He has repeatedly warned demonstrators to act peacefully, while also accepting the need for immigration reforms.