Shocking moment South African police 'executed' an armed robber as he lay wounded on the ground

• e-mail

Four police officers have been charged with murder after video footage emerged showing a robbery suspect being fatally shot dead while he was lying wounded on the ground in South Africa.

The shocking CCTV footage appears to show the suspect being shot at close range and also kicked as he lies on a pavement last month in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg.

The dead man, identified as Khulekani Mpanza, had allegedly used a pistol to fire eight times at police, according to South African media.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 

Scroll down for video: 

Shocking: Three police officers stand close to the body of Mr Mpanza as he lies on the pavement

Horrific: Mr Mpanza can be seen running up the street in the CCTV before he shot and wounded

In the video, Mr Mpanza appears to drop a pistol as he falls to the ground after being shot the first time while running away from the police.

The father of eight, who worked as a security guard, laid on the pavement while a police officer approached him before allegedly shooting him in the chest.

A uniformed officer is seen in the CCTV appearing to kick Mr Mpanza as he laid injured on the ground before walking away.

The delivery driver in the white van drives off before Mr Mpanza, 32, is shot dead from close range. 

The robbery suspect was shot close to a white delivery van, which later drove off from the scene

The delivery driver tries to seek cover moments before Mr Mpanza is shot and seen lying on the pavement

Ready: Several police officers can be seen carrying weapons as they stand close to the body of Mr Mpanza

'I simply could not believe the callousness ... especially the one policeman. He went, and at very, very close range, shot and killed that man,' policing expert Dr Johan Burger told Sunday Times ZA

Having watched the CCTV footage, Dr Burger expressed his shock at the nature of the killing.  

'The one word that went through my mind as I watched this was that this is an execution. It's not even a murder, it's absolute execution,' he said. 

It is not the first time South African police have been accused of brutality.

Problematic: It is not the first time South African police have been accused of brutality

Awful: In 2013, a Mozambican taxi driver died after being dragged in the street from a police vehicle

The body of Mr Mpanza lies motionless on the pavement in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg

In 2013, a Mozambican taxi driver died after being dragged in the street from a police vehicle in an incident that was filmed while a crowd watched.

Eight former police officers involved in the death were convicted of murder this year and await sentencing.

Police are under threat in a country with a high rate of violent crime, South Africa's police minister, Nkosinathi Nhleko, said on Sept. 10. 

He noted then that 60 police had been killed so far in 2015, 27 of them while on duty.