London ( CNN ) Congolese immigrant Tarsis Mboma Thale has a small business selling T-shirts in Johannesburg , South Africa . Thale 's job normally requires him to walk the streets of the city he has called home for the past few years . But at the moment , he says , this is not an option . Because he is simply too afraid . The reason is a wave of anti-immigrant violence that has swept the country in recent days , leaving several dead as authorities scrambled to detain those responsible and prevent further bloodshed . The cause of this surge in violence is murky , with some blaming alleged inflammatory comments about foreign nationals from the Zulu king , local media reported , others saying a labor dispute between locals and foreigners back in March turned nasty . Unemployment in impoverished areas has also been a factor . The violence has caused thousands of immigrants to seek refuge at police stations and shelters . Thale fears he 'll be attacked if he goes to work . `` I 'm scared to go to town because I do not know when these people can attack and it 's stressful for me , '' he told CNN . `` We 're close to month end -- how am I going to pay the rent and feed my wife ? '' CNN spoke to several immigrants living and working in South Africa about the crisis , which has caused South African President Jacob Zuma to postpone an overseas visit and left authorities scrambling to prevent further clashes . On Tuesday the country 's Defense Minister said South Africa would deploy troops to areas where police spread too thin in order to halt the attacks . Zimbabwe immigrant Stanley Ndlovu says he is so frightened he dare not venture outside , not even to go to the local mall . He works in Johannesburg as a cleaner and gardener , and also runs a small tuck shop where workers can buy food and basic supplies at his place of work . It 's a role he hears many South Africans say should belong to them alone . He feels the South African government has been far too slow to respond to the violence , which has erupted intermittently in various cities over the past few years . `` To stop violence they need to arrest and sentence the perpetrators , '' he says . Meanwhile , Eric Kalonji left the Democratic Republic of Congo and arrived in the South African capital in 2012 , working as a waiter until the restaurant he worked at closed in January . Now devoting himself to his studies in New Zealand , he feels that the situation in South Africa is more complex than a simple case of `` us versus them . '' He believes the blame lies heavily on what he calls the government 's failure to provide its people with jobs and education . `` This xenophobia thing is the result of a deeper malaise ( in ) South Africans '' he says . `` A better policy from the government should be empowering the people with wider access to education so that they will qualify for the jobs that they say they deserve . '' OPINION : Labeling South Africa turmoil 'xenophobia ' scapegoats poor blacks . Kodwo Amissah Benyi , a hotel receptionist originally from Ghana , now lives in the town of Louis Trichardt in South Africa 's Limpopo province . He 's far from the worst of the violence , but still close enough to follow the news with alarm . `` I fear it may spread because I do n't know what may spark unrest , '' he said . However he praised the government 's response to the attacks . `` The government is in crisis mode and Pretoria ( the South African government ) is responding well by verbally condemning the attacks and showing force on the ground , '' he said .
Wave of deadly anti-immigrant violence has caused thousands to flee their homes in South Africa . Immigrants fear further attacks despite clamp down by authorities . `` How am I going to pay the rent and feed my wife ? '' says one man .