A Philippi East man shot and wounded two policemen before killing his girlfriend and himself as police closed in on his shack during a search for an illegal gun early on Friday morning, Western Cape police said.

Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said police received a tip-off about an illegal firearm and went to a shack in Siyangena informal settlement.

Members of the Nyanga Crime Prevention Unit made their way through the paths and as they approached the shack where they thought they would find the firearm, shots rang out. Two constables were wounded.

Traut said the two were treated and taken to hospital where they are in a stable condition.

As a result of the heightened danger, police surrounded the shack. Eventually, at 02:00, more shots were heard inside the shack.

When police breached the man's home, they found that he had killed his girlfriend and himself.

It is believed that she was in her 20s and he was in his 30s.

Their names have not yet been released.

Provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula, condemned the attack.

"The attack on our members late last night during a police operation in Philippi East is condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said.

#sapsWC Attack on two #SAPS members during a police operation in Philippi East condemned by the Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape. NP https://t.co/96c9PLkiOa pic.twitter.com/cvHxQ4qCcT

— SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) January 11, 2019