CAPE TOWN - South Africans "are also in pain because of the tragic and senseless killings of all seven persons" in the latest round of xenophobic violence, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.

"This is a difficult period for our country and its people. Millions of peace loving South Africans are in pain because they are being accused of being xenophobic which is not true," Zuma said in an open letter to Mozambican writer and poet Mia Couto.

In an open letter to Zuma earlier, Couto accused South Africa of turning against its African brothers and sisters who had supported the anti-apartheid struggle.

The current xenophobic attacks mainly targeted immigrants from other African countries.

"South Africans are definitely not xenophobic. The actions of a small minority should not be used to wrongfully label and stereotype more than 50 million people," Zuma noted.

Since 1994, South Africans have worked tirelessly to rebuild their country and to reverse the legacy of apartheid colonialism, Zuma said.

Progress has been made in building a society that is based on the respect for the right to life, human rights, equality and human dignity, said Zuma.

"We continue to build a society free of any form of discrimination. We are doing so because we know the pain of being discriminated because of your skin color, language or nationality. "

In the letter, Zuma mentioned the hospitality and generosity that was accorded to him by Mozambicans during his exile in Mozambique.

"We agree that we benefited immensely from international solidarity and friendship during our struggle against apartheid. Our brothers and sisters in the African continent in particular shared their meager resources with us," Zuma said.