Police said the shooting occurred at the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg. More than 10 suspects are being sought in connection with the attack.

According to a police statement issued on Wednesday, the assailants arrived in a white Toyota Quantum and entered the settlement through two separate access points before opening fire at multiple locations. The suspects fled the scene in the same vehicle after the shooting.

Authorities said the motive for the attack remains unknown and investigations are continuing.

The latest incident adds to concerns over violent crime in South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. The country records an average of about 60 murders each day, according to official crime statistics.

Police have not disclosed the identities of the victims and said efforts were underway to track down those responsible. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the attack and appealing for information that could assist the ongoing manhunt.

No arrests had been announced as of Wednesday morning.

Freeman, 56, was shot dead by police on Monday at a remote property in northern Victoria, bringing to an end an extensive manhunt that began in August last year when he fled into dense bushland following the fatal shooting of two officers at his rural home.

Victoria Police said a man and a woman were detained at separate properties on Saturday morning and would be questioned over potential assistance provided to the fugitive during his time on the run.

“The investigation remains ongoing and as such, we are not in a position to provide further details at this immediate time,” police said in a statement.

Authorities had deployed significant resources in the search for Freeman, who was accused of killing 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim De Waart when officers attended his property.

A third officer was wounded in the lower body during the incident.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush earlier described the operation as one of the most resource-intensive in Australian policing history, adding investigators believed Freeman may have relied on local support to remain concealed.

“It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance,” Bush said following Freeman’s death.

The arrests mark the latest development in the investigation into the circumstances that enabled Freeman to evade authorities for months despite a large-scale coordinated search across rural Victoria.