Police in Malamulele, Limpopo, have launched a manhunt after a group of brazen armed criminals robbed the local police station of firearms and ammunition.

National police spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe said a group of armed suspects stormed the Malamulele police station at about 11pm on Sunday and held officers at gunpoint in the Community Service Centre.

“Some members were forced into the back of a police van while one member was ordered to unlock the safe, where the suspects took R5 rifles, 9mm pistols, shotguns and an undisclosed number of ammunition.

“The robbers proceeded to a local food outlet and filling station in the vicinity where they robbed the businesses of an undisclosed amount of cash,” she said. 

Mathe added that all role players, including a multi-disciplinary team consisting of crime scene experts and specialised units within the SAPS, are combing the scene and are in pursuit of the heavily armed men.

Provincial police commissioner Lieut-Gen Thembi Hadebe and her management team visited the crime scene and have implemented a 72-hour activation plan.

Mathe said services at the police station were temporarily affected during the armed robbery. 

“The SAPS can now confirm that the police station is fully functional and accessible to members of the public,” she said.