• Some of the foreigners said they lost their documents while fleeing the violence that left three dead and 10 injured.

• Home Affairs said only those not in the system were arrested, and those with valid papers were not touched.

Thirty foreign nationals who had taken shelter in a church in Gqeberha were arrested on Sunday for being in South Africa without proper documents.

They had fled violent attacks in Addo last weekend, where three people were killed and at least 10 others injured. Many of the foreigners ran for their lives after angry residents from Valencia allegedly attacked them.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the arrests. He said: "The department of immigration arrested a total of 30 foreigners. Twenty are being held at Mount Road police station and 10 at Humewood police station."

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The group had taken refuge in the church after violence broke out in Addo, following the murder of a local man outside a tavern.

Beetge explained that the arrests were made by the immigration unit under the Home Affairs Department, which is allowed to detain people under South Africa's immigration laws.

Some of the arrested foreigners claimed they lost their documents during the chaos.

But home affairs spokesperson Duwayne Esau said only those in the country illegally were taken in.

"Our system is able to pick up if a person is in the country legally," he said. "No one with valid papers was arrested. Everyone arrested was found to be illegal in the country."

The violence in Addo left the streets tense and empty, as many foreign-owned shops were looted or closed.