A 53-year-old scholar transport driver was shot dead in Westbury, Johannesburg, on Monday morning, prompting a manhunt for two suspects who fled the scene in a blue Volkswagen Polo.

The fatal shooting happened at about 08:10 am after the driver had reportedly dropped off schoolchildren and was preparing to park his vehicle at a flat in the Westbury area.

According to Gauteng police, two unknown men approached the victim and opened fire.

The driver sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

The suspects fled from the scene in a blue Volkswagen Polo and remain at large.

The motive for the shooting has not yet been established.

Sophiatown police have opened a case of murder, and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said investigations were continuing as officers worked to establish the motive and identify the suspects.

The shooting comes as police across Gauteng continue to intensify operations targeting wanted suspects and serious and violent crime.

The latest Operation Shanela operations resulted in more than 900 arrests across the province, according to the office of the Acting Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Gauteng.

Operation Shanela is conducted simultaneously across all five Gauteng police districts and has two main components, namely tracing and arresting wanted suspects and conducting crime prevention operations.

The first phase, led by detectives, resulted in the arrest of 735 wanted suspects.

Of these, 422 were allegedly linked to contact crimes, while 148 were wanted for crimes committed against women and children.

Police said the arrests formed part of ongoing efforts to pursue suspects linked to serious and violent crimes and ensure that they appear before the courts.

The second phase focused on crime prevention operations, including roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, liquor compliance inspections and intelligence-driven interventions.

These operations resulted in further arrests for a range of offences.

Police arrested 98 suspects for allegedly contravening the Immigration Act, while 69 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

A further 23 suspects were arrested for possession of drugs and 14 for allegedly contravening the Gauteng Liquor Act.

Other arrests involved alleged offences including possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of suspected stolen property and possession of gold-bearing material.

Acting Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana welcomed the results of Operation Shanela and commended the multidisciplinary teams involved in the operations.

The teams included SAPS members, metropolitan police departments, Gauteng Traffic Police, National Traffic Police, the Department of Home Affairs, private security companies through Business Against Crime South Africa, Community Policing Forums and other crime-fighting stakeholders.

Police said Operation Shanela would continue across Gauteng, with a particular focus on serious and violent crime, crimes against women and children, illegal firearms, drugs, unlawful immigration and alcohol related offences.

The fatal shooting in Westbury is now among the cases being investigated by police as part of their broader efforts to tackle violent crime in the province.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have information that could assist detectives in identifying and locating the two suspects to come forward.

Information can be provided to the Crime Stop Line on 08600 10111 or anonymously through the MySAPS application.

Police have urged members of the public not to approach the suspects but instead to provide any information directly to law enforcement.