South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says his government will continue strengthening its immigration laws as immigration increasingly becomes a global challenge, while upholding the country's constitutional values.

Hundreds of Nigerians returned to Lagos from South Africa on Tuesday on a government-backed evacuation flight, as anti-immigration protests demanding that foreign workers leave continue in parts of the country.

The Zambian Department of Immigration has deported 242 illegal immigrants following a mass removal operation this week.

The deportees consist of 217 Burundians, 15 Tanzanians, eight Rwandese and two Congolese.