South African government ministers held urgent talks on Monday to address mounting tensions over illegal immigration, as protesters renewed demands for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.

Citizen‑led groups, accusing undocumented migrants of crime and taking jobs from locals, have issued a June 30 deadline for their departure — an ultimatum with no official backing but one that has fueled alarm across the country.

Justice, defence and crime ministers convened an "urgent meeting" to finalise a national action plan to "combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", the government said. Officials said they would also meet political parties and groups behind a wave of protests against undocumented foreign nationals.

Demonstrations have been building across the country in recent months, raising fears of a repeat of previous outbreaks of xenophobic violence, such as the 2008 attacks in which 62 people were killed — including 21 South African citizens.

Last week, several hundred foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia sought shelter in the eastern port city of Durban, saying locals had gone door‑to‑door telling them to leave by June 30. A huddle of terrified people has since gathered outside Durban's Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre, too scared to leave because of fears of attack by roaming vigilantes.

Several African governments have expressed alarm. Ghana has announced an emergency evacuation plan for its citizens, with more than 800 Ghanaians registered for repatriation. Ghana's High Commissioner Benjamin Quashie told AFP that many of those seeking to leave had expired work permits. In Accra, the government has pledged a "Welcome Home" support package for returnees, including financial assistance, psychosocial counselling and an employment database.

In new protests on Monday, hundreds of residents of the Katlehong township, south‑west of Johannesburg, demanded that police verify the documents of foreign nationals operating businesses, the SABC reported. 

"The government has urged African nations to address the economic and governance crises that cause people to flock to South Africa, the continent's most industrialised country," the government said in a statement. Lamola added, "This is a shared responsibility."