Nigerian singers and Zambia's football team are among those in the boycott.

South Africa's Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu told the BBC the rioters feared losing their jobs to foreigners.

The country has become a magnet for migrants from other parts of Africa.

Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy vowed to never go to South Africa again until the government "wakes up".

He tweeted that he himself had had his own "xenophobic experiences at the hands of South Africans " in 2017.

Another Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, announced on Twitter she was pulling out of a concert she had planned to perform at in South Africa in September, condemning "the barbaric butchering of my people".

Zambia's football association has cancelled an international friendly match against South Africa scheduled to take place on Saturday in the capital, Lusaka.

"This is because of the security concerns, you never know what can happen," Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) secretary general Adrian Kashala, told AFP news agency. "We want to be sure of the security of [the] visiting team," he added.

Police say five people have been killed but have not revealed their identities or nationalities.