Residents in Tshino in Vuwani, Limpopo went on a rampage on Monday night, blocking roads and torching eight houses.
The burnt houses belonged to foreign nationals, police said.
"The motive for the violence is not clear at this stage," police spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe said.
"Public Order Police (POP) members have since been deployed in the affected area to quell the violence," Ngoepe added.
Two people have been arrested on charges of public violence.
Limpopo police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has condemned the violent protest.
"The situation in the area has now returned to normal but POP members are still monitoring. Meanwhile, police are continuing... the tracing of other possible suspects."
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In 2015, the area experienced an unprecedented form of violent protests.
This was after the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) decided to incorporate Vuwani into the newly constituted Lim345 municipality, now known as Collins Chabane, in Malamulele.
Thirty schools were burnt or vandalised during the violence, affecting more than 60 000 pupils.
That dispute is yet to be resolved.