As South African National Defence Force units prepare to deploy to gang-plagued areas on the Cape Flats, three men have been shot in Belhar, the City of Cape Town said on Sunday.

Spokesman for the city's fire and rescue service Jermaine Carelse said the three wounded men arrived at the Belhar fire station at around 10.30am.

He said they sustained gunshot wounds to various parts of their bodies.

They were transported to hospital in a critical condition.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said cases of attempted murder had been opened.

Rwexana said the men were aged 26, 28 and 31. Details around the shooting were not immediately clear.

No arrests had been made.

On Friday, a 25-year-old man died after he was shot in the head multiple times in Beacon Valley.

Army troops have since made their way to Cape Town from across the country to constitute a battalion-sized force that will help police to curb the soaring murder rate in the city.

The army’s deployment was announced by police minister Bheki Cele during his budget vote speech on Thursday evening.