A recently promoted police captain has been killed and his colleague left critically injured following a brazen ambush in KwaZulu-Natal.
The injured officer, a sergeant, remains in a critical condition after the attack, which police have described as a direct assault on the authority of the state.
Preliminary reports indicate the officers were travelling in a Toyota Hilux along Flanders Drive when they were pursued by suspects in a white Isuzu bakkie. Witnesses say the suspects opened fire while chasing the police vehicle for several kilometres.
It is alleged that multiple gunmen were seated at the back of the Isuzu, firing at the officers during the pursuit.
The Hilux eventually came to a stop, after which some of the attackers reportedly disembarked and fired additional shots directly into the windscreen.
Witnesses from nearby businesses said the suspects removed a large bag from the back of the police vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The getaway vehicle was later found abandoned and set alight in KwaMashu.
The South African Police Service has since launched a manhunt, deploying maximum resources to track down those responsible for the killing.