More than 5,645 foreigners have been repatriated following April’s deadly xenophobic violence in South Africa, authorities have said.

Jeff Radebe, a South African Minister said this in a statement on Sunday, adding that the foreigners chose to leave South Africa voluntarily.

Malawians made up the bulk of the foreigners, numbering 3,506, followed by Zimbabweans (1,440) Mozambicans (682), while Tanzanians had (17).

It is unknown if Nigerian citizens are among those repatriated.

In April, the Nigerian Union in South Africa said Nigerians lost more than 4.6 million Rand (N84m) to xenophobic attacks.

Radebe said the repatriation process started soon after the latest spate of xenophobic violence ended in April.

“The Department of Social Development continues to work closely with other relevant departments, as well as civil society organisations to provide support to displaced foreign nationals,” Radebe said. The official also said over 1,000 foreigners received trauma counseling.

According to the statement, 10 women with children under 12 months of which three had just given birth were flown to their respective countries on their insistence.

Radebe further said the department would continue to do its work to ensure that the underlying socio-economic issues that gave rise to tensions between South Africans and foreign nationals were dealt with.

He also defended the current Operation Fiela (meaning “sweep’’ in Sesotho language) launched after the end of the xenophobia attacks. He said the operation was meant to address the security challenges in a structured and coordinated manner.

Authorities say over 3,900 people, including 1,650 migrants, have been arrested in South Africa during a police crackdown following the deadly xenophobic violence.

“We are satisfied that we have stabilised the situation and further loss of life has been prevented,” the government said in a statement released on Sunday.

“Security agencies continue to work around the clock to protect both foreign nationals and South African citizens against any attacks.”

Some 2,260 South Africans have also been arrested on a variety of charges since the operation began.

The crackdown came after at least seven people were killed as mobs hunted down migrant workers from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other African countries, forcing hundreds of terrified families to abandon their homes.

The arrests of the so-called “illegal” migrants have prompted concerns that the government is fanning xenophobic sentiment, though authorities have denied that the operation targeted foreigners.

In April, authorities launched a joint operation between the police, Ministry of Home Affairs and the army, targeting undocumented foreign nationals across the country. Human Rights groups and activists have described Operation Myala, that has resulted in at least 750 arrests so far, as “state xenophobia”.

The police operation was strongly criticised during a rally on Saturday in a migrant neighbourhood in Johannesburg.