Paul Nyathi|South African police have launched a manhunt for two men who allegedly shot and killed two security guards at Maponya Mall in Soweto last week.

The attack on two parked security guards in Soweto‚ south of Johannesburg‚ was carried out by “heartless criminals with no regard for human life”‚ 24/7 Security Services said on Monday.

The two reaction officers‚ Eric Ngobese and Zimbabwean national Boykie Moyo‚ were gunned down near Maponya Mall in Soweto last week Wednesday.

The company’s Geoff Schapiro said the guards were “very experienced and seasoned officers”.

A video of the attack was captured by a high definition camera fitted inside of the vehicle. The vehicle is also fitted with a camera on the outside.

Schapiro said the men and vehicle were deployed as part of a team providing specialised security services for a national financial institution.

A gruesome 30-second video doing the rounds on social media shows the moment the two guards are shot dead in broad daylight at what appears to be close range.

It shows their vehicle parked near Maponya Mall. Both are wearing their uniforms and bullet-proof vests. One of the guards was sitting with a book and pen on his lap‚ reading.

Moments later‚ two armed men open fire through the driver-side window‚ seemingly instantly killing him.

Shots ring out on the other side of the vehicle‚ hitting the passenger in his head.

Meanwhile, Moyo’s Zimbabwean family is reeling from the shock of witnessing his tragic last moments, as they stumbled on the viral video of his fatal shooting on social media.

The Moyo family of Sigangatsha Village in Kezi, Matabeleland South was left traumatised after viewing a video which showed his death went viral on various social media platforms before they had been notified of his death by authorities.

Ms Magie Moyo, the sister of the late security officer, said that the Moyo family was still reeling from shock after unexpectedly viewing the video of his murder.

“We had no idea that he had been shot. We were in the dark and found out like everyone else on social media. Most of us first saw the video on WhatsApp chat groups,” said Ms Moyo.

Ms Moyo said that the death of his brother had been hard to swallow as he was a family breadwinner, supporting his wife and three children.

“When he was shot his wife was in South Africa visiting so you can just imagine how she felt when she heard news of his death. As it is one of his brothers, who is also based in South Africa, could not speak because of the shock of seeing him being killed like that,” she said.

Ms Moyo said her brother had been an honest, hardworking man who had served his employers with distinction over the years.

“He left Zimbabwe in 2008. Before that he had been running our father’s businesses. He found employment very quickly in South Africa,” she said.

Moyo was laid to rest at his rural home in Kezi on Saturday. Geoff Schapiro of 24/7 Security Services, who employed the deceased, told TimesLive, a South African publication that the company was not responsible for leaking of the dashboard camera footage.

Pictures of the two gunmen with their distinctive tattoos had also been shared widely on social media and despite reports indicating that they had been captured, the South African Police Service earlier last week confirmed that both suspects were still at large.