National police commissioner Gen Khehla John Sitole has ordered an extensive manhunt for the killers of an elite special task force police officer gunned down in Cape Town this week.

Const Mlungisi Kidwell Ranaka, 38, was shot dead at his home in the Mfuleni area on Thursday night.

Police said that four men had stormed into the officer’s house at about 9pm and demanded that he give them his service firearm. However, he did not have it with him.

The suspects then shot him in the head and fled the scene with some of his personal belongings, including two television sets.   

Sitole condemned the killing and called on police in the province to ensure that an extensive search was launched for the suspects.

“I am deeply saddened by this murder of a member from our elite squad. The province has assured me that the 72-hour activation plan has been mobilised and that all the necessary resources have been deployed to track down the suspects,” said Sitole.

“I am also calling on the community of Mfuleni to work together with the police to root out criminals that commit these heinous crimes. We need the community to take back our streets.” 

He appealed to anyone with information on crime to contact the police on the Crime Stop number 086 00 10111 or via the SAPS MySAPSApp.

Police said Ranaka, who was originally from Willowvale in the Eastern Cape, had been a member of the SAPS for 12 years, eight years of which were as a member of the special task force in Cape Town.