The STAR 19 may

President Thabo Mbeki and ANC president Jacob Zuma have both condemned xenophobic violence that has taken root in the Joburg city centre and areas around Gauteng.

Also yesterday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) called the situation a humanitarian crisis and said there was a need for the government to accord the foreigners "some kind of status".

And the government has called on "intelligence services" to uncover who or what could be behind the attacks - but said it would not be using the army to quell the violence any time soon.

"We do believe there is some form of orchestration to these attacks; they are not just criminal," Government Communication and Information System CEO Themba Maseko said.

He did not want to speculate on who might be responsible for the attacks, which he described as "crazy and inexplicable", but said it appeared that "somebody wants to take advantage of the declining mood in the country" to destabilise South Africa.

He admitted that police had been caught on the back foot, but said this was because of a "lack of intelligence", not because they were failing to contain the xenophobic violence.

"At this stage there has been no decision to deploy the defence force."

Mbeki yesterday announced that a panel had been set up to look into the attacks.

Speaking at San Lameer after a meeting of the International Investment Council, Mbeki said it was important for the police to act firmly.

"We hope the panel and the police will work together and help us answer who is behind this."

People could not be allowed to go around beating up other people, Mbeki said.

SA Human Rights Commission chairperson Jody Kollapen said the police had been doing a "great job", but he was concerned that criminals might take advantage of the fact that the authorities were "overstretched".

Democratic Alliance provincial leader Jack Bloom visited the Cleveland police station, to which he said about 1 000 foreigners had fled.

Medecins Sans Frontieres spokesperson Dr Eric Goemaere said he had been to "many refugee camps and situations, and this definitely is along those lines".