South Africa on Wednesday rejected what it described as a sustained misinformation campaign aimed at portraying the country as isolated from the rest of Africa following recent protests against illegal migration.

Speaking at a media briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the campaign, which had intensified over the past two months, sought to depict South Africa as a "pariah state" that should be referred to international courts.

Magwenya said the narrative persisted despite repeated government statements condemning acts of vigilantism against foreign nationals, reaffirming that only the state has the authority to enforce immigration laws and stressing the government's commitment to upholding the Constitution.

"Even ordinary diplomatic exchanges over meetings have been deliberately misrepresented to create an impression that South Africa is being isolated," he said.

The Presidency rejected what it called the spread of false information about the country and said it would continue to oppose efforts to misrepresent South Africa and its values.

Magwenya pointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa's continued diplomatic engagement with African leaders through bilateral meetings, telephone calls, regional summits and other channels as evidence that South Africa remained actively engaged on the continent.

He cited recent interactions with the leaders of Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

"Once again, we assert that South Africa is not isolated and can never be isolated from the rest of the African continent," Magwenya said.

The remarks come after weeks of anti-immigration protests in parts of South Africa, which prompted concern among several African governments and led some countries to organize voluntary repatriation programs for their nationals.