JOHANNESBURG - South Africa has the institutions to deal with disputes and unrest in the country.
That was a statement from International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola.
"We have an independent judiciary, institutions and the police," he said.
All of which are capable of investigating violations of human rights, he said.
He was responding after two Ghanaians filed a petition at the International Criminal Court. They sought an investigation into alleged attacks on foreign nationals, as anti-illegal immigration protests continue.
The petition was dismissed as they failed to satisfy statutory legal triggers and jurisdictional requirements for action by the ICC.
"It needs to first be handled within our own system," said Lamola.
He said while some attacks continue in some parts of the country, attacks and unlawful activity have been met with the might of the law.
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The Inter-ministerial Committee announced on Sunday that several individuals had been arrested. Seven arrests have been confirmed in the Limpopo province and 69 in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape.
"Government has been very clear to condemn any action by individuals or groups purporting to be law enforcement officers," says Lamola.
"The state has been very clear that this is the responsibility only for the state, and where there is evidence, there will be an investigation," he said.
Lamola said the state is acting and there was no basis to say there is no action from the government.
"There is action that can be shown to any international platform, so there is really no basis for this charge at the ICC at all," he said.
Lamola said bilateral talks continue between South Africa and other affected African countries. The government has also been dealing with High Commissioners in the country, as many continue with their repatriation processes.
South Africa is currently the Southern African Community (SADC) chairperson. Lamola said there is a protocol on the movement of people and goods which is yet to be signed by several countries.
There is another one at the African Union (AU) level.
READ: Lamola condemns vigilante actions targeting foreign nationals
"These protocols are clear that migration must be regular, orderly and within the confines of the law," he said.
South Africa is the highest-receiving country of African migrants. According to Lamola, statistics show about 45 percent of Africans live outside of their countries. Most of them migrate into the continent, moving into South Africa, Egypt and the Ivory Coast, amongst others.
"The first step should be to deal with the matter bilaterally and resolve whatever is practical to resolve," he said.