Police are searching for four men who allegedly robbed a KZN bottle store of thousands of rand worth of whiskey.

Capt Nqobile Gwala said the armed men allegedly held up a security guard at the business in Tongaat, north of Durban, on Tuesday evening before robbing him of his cellphone.

"They broke in... and took assorted liquor, a panic button and gate keys before fleeing the scene in their getaway vehicle," Gwala said.

Prem Balram, spokesperson for security company Reaction Unit SA, said the robbers stole "thousands of rand" worth of whiskey.

"A bolt cutter and other tools used to break into the business were abandoned at the scene," Balram said, adding that the security guard was unharmed.

A week ago thieves made off with alcohol worth more than R60,000 from a Spar Tops store in the Free State.

Meanwhile, an armed gang searched for booze during a robbery at a hotel in Rustenburg, North West.

The suspects found some beer that was left in the fridges; most of the alcohol had already been removed, Tsogo Sun said.