A female police constable is fighting for her life after being shot while on patrol in Esikhaleni, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday.

National police spokesperson Col Brenda Muridili said the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, when three constables were on patrol near the Esikhaleni shopping centre.

“Two members were wounded and the third member managed to escape unscathed. One of the constables, a female, is in a critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds to her face and abdomen,” said Muridili.

A senior officer close to the investigation told SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE that police were chasing strong leads to find the attackers.