A video of members of the SA Police Service (SAPS) allegedly trying to snatch a baby from a woman in Cape Town has gone viral.

In the video, police can be seen violently pulling a girl from a woman on the ground, while she desperately tries to hold on to the baby.

The child clings to the woman, while three police officers force her to let go.

The incident happened during a stand-off between police and foreigners in Cape Town on Wednesday.

SowetanLIVE reported that refugees and safety seekers staged a sit-in outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) offices in Waldorf Arcade, St George's Mall, demanding to be relocated from SA.

Western Cape police arrested about 100 people, after a court order for the protesters' eviction was granted to the landlord on October 18. 

The refugees want to be repatriated to their home countries or moved elsewhere, after a spate of xenophobic riots and attacks in September, which left at least 10 people dead. 

The video was shared on social media, with many calling for the police officers in question to be fired or prosecuted.