Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Somalia are preparing to evacuate their nationals from South Africa after deadly xenophobic attacks spread from Durban to Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg.
The Malawian government said it would be helping citizens living in South Africa to return to their homeland following the violence.
Malawian Information Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa said: "The situation is really tense as about 360 Malawians are stranded in South Africa following the xenophobic attacks there."
Nankhumwa said the Malawian embassy in Pretoria had started processing temporary travel documents for its nationals. "Malawians targeted have lost everything, including their passports. We are going to spend about $60,000 to bring Malawians home."
Malawi has deployed six buses for the evacuation. Two centres have been set up in Blantyre and Lilongwe to receive the returnees and screen them before being released to their various homes.
Zimbabwe will on Sunday begin the repatriation of about 1,000 Zimbabwean citizens affected by the attacks in the eastern port city of Durban.
Zimbabwe's Ambassador to South Africa, Isaac Moyo told state media yesterday that: "Identification and processing of repatriation documents has already been done. It is very sad. Most people do not have any documentation. They don't have any clothes apart from what they are wearing. Many of them left all their clothes and property behind.
"We are documenting people. This process means that we are giving them some sort of documentation to use upon returning to Zimbabwe. We are organising some buses to take them from Durban to Beitbridge. Then they will be taken from Beitbridge to their home provinces. We would want (the departure) to be as soon as possible. People are currently living in the most difficult conditions."
The Kenyan government has said it is ready for any eventuality and has a plan in place to evacuate its citizens from South Africa.
Foreign Affairs Minister Amina Mohamed said so far there were no Kenyan casualties in the attacks that have caused uproar.
According to her, Kenyans living in affected areas had voluntarily moved to makeshift camps provided for victims.
"We don't have any direct casualties. We have planned for an evacuation but some of the Kenyans have actually voluntarily moved to a camp but not in large numbers, but that could increase," she explained.
She said most of those who had moved are business people who own retail shops.
Mohamed said Kenya was however deeply concerned about the attacks that have left scores of non-South Africans dead.
"This is not the first time it has happened. This is the second time. We have always managed to provide protection," she said as she pledged that the government will take necessary measures to ensure Kenyans in South Africa are safe.
The Somali Embassy in SA said it was also trying to trace its citizens and help them escape the violence.
While Nigeria promised to evacuate its nationals if the attacks worsen, Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hannah Tetteh has hinted that Ghanaians living in SA will be evacuated if necessary.
It is still unclear whether Mozambique, Uganda, Congo and other African governments have similar plans.