Two police officers have been shot and killed at Ziphunzana location in Libode, near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
Police spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana says the officers, aged between 30 and 51, were members of the National Intervention Unit.
The officers were reportedly responding to a report of an attack on a spaza shop when they were killed.
Their service pistols are missing, while a cordless grinder allegedly used to cut through the shop’s burglar door was recovered at the scene.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, with a 72-hour operational plan activated to trace and arrest those responsible.
Gantana says a multidisciplinary team is investigating the incident, which includes two counts of murder, two counts of attacking police officers, two counts of robbery of police firearms and one count of attempted business robbery.
She says preliminary intelligence is being followed up as investigators work to identify and locate the suspects.
The investigation remains ongoing.