South African President Thabo Mbeki made a rare national address on Sunday to appeal for an end to "shameful" anti-immigrant violence that has left 50 dead and 35,000 displaced.
  
Warning of a return to the country's violent past in its struggle against apartheid, he said the unrest had besmirched the image of the country and had soiled the reputation of liberation heroes such as Nelson Mandela.
  
"Never since the birth of our democracy have we witnessed such callousness. We must view the events of the past two weeks as an absolute disgrace," he said.
  
Facing increasing criticism of official dithering in the face of a national crisis, he called for tolerance, peace and understanding of the causes of migration.
  
Cautioning against a return to the country's divided past, which pitted blacks against whites in a bloody fight to end apartheid, he said: "If it takes root it will take us back to a past of violent conflict which no-one amongst us can afford."
  
"The shameful acts of a few have blemished the name of South Africa," he said.
  
The death toll from two weeks of anti-immigrant violence, which has seen gangs of armed gangs purge slum areas of foreigners, rose to 50 on Sunday as thousands more migrants fled their homes to pour into community centres.
  
Foreigners in South Africa, many of whom have fled economic meltdown in neighbouring Zimbabwe, are being blamed for sky-high crime rates and depriving locals of jobs.
  
The problems are seen as a result of policy failures to address critical housing shortages, illegal immigration and the poverty-ridden conditions in the slum areas that surround South Africa's cities.
  
The president of the ruling African National Congress Jacob Zuma faced an angry crowd in a run-down area east of Johannesburg on Sunday where he also urged people to be tolerant of foreigners Sunday.
  
"Fighting won't solve your problems but will instead exacerbate them and they will therefore remain unsolved," he said as angry locals demanded the government deal with crime and unemployment.
  
One young man, shouting from the back of the hall, urged Zuma to ensure the government kept out foreigners from neighbouring countries, illustrating the resentment felt in many poor areas.
  
"You talk to (Zimbabwe President Robert) Mugabe, you talk to (Mozambique President Armando) Guebuza. Tell them to tell their people they must not harass us in our country. This is our country.
  
He said foreigners in the country were "riding on the gravy train".
  
The Red Cross in South Africa says it is caring for 25,000 destitute people around violence hotspot Johannesburg with another 10,000 sheltering at community centres in the tourist hub of Cape Town.
  
Many migrants are fleeing the country.
  
Mozambique alone had received nearly 20,000 citizens fleeing South Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Henrique Banze told AFP Sunday, adding the government there had set up three reception centres around the capital Maputo.
  
President Mbeki faced a front-page demand from national newspaper the Sunday Times to step down on Sunday. The paper ran a headlined reading "State of Emergency."
  
"Throughout the crisis, arguably the most grave, dark and repulsive moment in the life of our young nation, Mbeki has demonstrated that he no longer has the heart to lead," it said.
  
The head of state is yet to visit the worst affected areas of Johannesburg and his failure to address the nation has been been used as ammunition by his critics.
  
Soldiers were sent on to Johannesburg's streets on Thursday for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994 to help police quell the looting, raping and killing.
  
The army has been providing logistical support and back-up during search and arrest operations.
  
National police spokesman spokesman Dennis Adriao said there was fresh violence in four provinces overnight Saturday-Sunday, but that there had been no new fatalities.
  
"In the four provinces, it has been mainly looting of shops and burning of shacks," he told AFP, adding that 91 arrests had been made in the 24-hour period leading up to 6 am (0400 GMT) on Sunday.