The SA Communist Party (SACP) says the spate of violence in South Africa is a reflection of deeper challenges in the entire South African Development Community (SADC).
"SADC is in economic and social distress," the party's general secretary, Blade Nzimande, said at a media briefing on Sunday.
The SACP held an augmented central committee meeting over the weekend in which it discussed ongoing violence against women and children, as well as attacks on foreigners in parts of South Africa.
There has been a spate of violent attacks on foreigner nationals this week and Gauteng was affected the most. Attacks on women and children also dominated headlines, including the rape and murder of University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana and the murder of the four Jiyane siblings in KwaZulu-Natal.
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"Violence is often closely related to conditions of inequality and oppression of the capitalist system" said Nzimande.
He said those at the meeting felt that unless society was mobilised, it could be overwhelmed by the scourge.
The party said a "multi-pronged" strategy was required to deal with the issue and that it would intensify its own campaign against violence attacks on women as part of its Red October campaign next month.
The party also said it supported President Cyril Ramaphosa's commitment to tighten laws and the application of those laws.
The party also commented on issues of looting and criminal activities, where trucks and heavy production vehicles were used to blockade some of the country's major networks. It said these were clear acts of "sabotage".
"The criminals, both foreign nationals and South Africans alike, must be hunted down and held to account to the full might of the law without any fear," he said.
The SACP also called on crime-fighting institutions to be cleaned up and, according to Nzimande, those at the meeting discussed state capture and its impact on state-owned entities .
"The [central committee] therefore reiterated the consistent call by the SACP for a thorough specialised investigation into the manifestation and impact of state capture in and criminal infiltration of state organs established to combat crime and corruption," said Nzimande.