Police in Kimberley in the Northern Cape have arrested a 37-year-old security guard for attempted murder after a man was allegedly shot during an altercation over a face mask.

Police said that a security guard manning access to a shop at a filling station on Friday afternoon had allegedly denied entry to a 36-year-old customer who was not wearing a face mask.

“It is alleged an argument ensued between the security guard and the customer. The customer was allegedly shot in the face.

“The victim was rushed to the local hospital for treatment,” police said.

The security guard had been arrested and the firearm used had been confiscated for further investigation, they added.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Kimberley magistrate's court on Monday.

Northern Cape provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Risimati Peter Shivuri strongly condemned the incident and “called upon everybody to exercise patience and co-operation with the purpose of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic”.

-TimesLIVE