Parliament has suspended its plenary sittings for next week to allow MPs to go to their constituencies and combat xenophobia.

Important portfolio committee meetings tasked with passing the budget in time will continue‚ but full plenary meetings of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces have been suspended to free up MPs.

The decision was taken by the multi-party chief whips' forum this week and has the support of all major political parties.

Supporting the decision‚ ANC chief whip Stone Sizani said the postponement of the parliamentary programme will afford MPs of all political parties - through their constituency offices - an opportunity to interact with communities and work with various stakeholders to discourage the violence and mobilise communities against xenophobia.

Parliament will also establish a multiparty committee which will visit areas identified as hotspots for attacks against foreign nationals to investigate causes and recommend measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.

 "As a supreme representative body of the South African people‚ parliament cannot continue when the nation is confronted with a situation which threatens to tarnish our image as a peaceful and welcoming country in the eyes of the international community‚" Sizani said.

 He said a number of MPs have been on the ground in the affected areas participating in various initiatives to arrest the situation and bring about stability.