Thirteen hostages were rescued from a supermarket in Mthatha on Tuesday night after being held hostage by a gang of gunmen.
Eastern Cape police said the hostage takers had escaped.
”We have managed to rescue all 13 hostages. A task team went inside the building but couldn’t find them [the hostage takers],” said Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela.
He said the teams had been brought in from Durban and Pretoria.
None of the hostages were harmed.
The guards were collecting money inside the Boxer supermarket on Callaway Street when the gang stormed into the shop at about 11am. The men then shot a security guard, who had been trying to alert his colleagues.
The guard was taken to the Nelson Mandela Academic hospital where he died at about 3pm.
Four of the robbers fled the scene after the shooting but two were believed to have remained behind with the 13 hostages.
Earlier, Fatyela said police negotiators had only spoken to hostages who were locked in an office inside the supermarket.
An eyewitness told the South African Press Association that about 500 people, including school children, had gathered outside the shop. Fatyela said police officers patrolling the area were alerted after four of the six armed robbers sped away in a VW Jetta.
Police gave chase and one robber was shot dead and another was arrested a few kilometres away at Payne village outside Mthatha. The other two ran away.
Police recovered the getaway car, and confiscated two R5 rifles and two pistols. No money was recovered. – Sapa