Police have launched a manhunt following the fatal shooting of a senior officer in New Brighton, Mthatha, where a second female officer was also wounded.
The motive for the attack remains unknown at this stage.
According to provincial South African Police Service spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana, preliminary investigations indicate that a white VW Polo was observed parked a short distance from the scene approximately two hours before the incident.
Gantana said two men later exited the vehicle, approached an Isuzu bakkie in which the officers were seated, and opened fire multiple times before fleeing the scene.
“The suspects then fled in the Polo towards the R61 highway in the direction of Port St. John’s,” she said.
The senior officer sustained gunshot wounds to the upper body and head and was declared dead at the scene.
The second officer, who managed to call for assistance, was rushed to hospital by a responding colleague. She remains in a critical condition.
Police say investigations are ongoing as efforts intensify to trace the suspects involved.