A traffic officer shot on the N2 on Tuesday morning “luckily” sustained only a flesh wound, the city of Cape Town said.

Nizaam Alexander, 35, was released from hospital shortly after the incident, the city’s safety and security director Richard Bosman said.

“He has been taken home and will receive trauma counselling.”

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the officer had pulled over a car near the satellite station on the highway at about 10:00.

“A man came out of the bushes and opened fire on them. The traffic officer returned fire and the suspect fled,” he said.

The motorist was uninjured.

According to Western Cape police, the attack took place near the Borcherds Quarry turnoff in the direction of Cape Town.

Police spokesperson lieutenant-colonel Andre Traut said the officer was standing next to the road when a shot was fired from the direction of informal dwellings in Nyanga.

They were investigating an attempted murder case.

Smith said the area where the attack took place was a known robbery hot spot.

“Our team makes every effort to respond to motorists in difficulty in this area as soon as possible. However it’s the first time one of our officers has come under attack here,” he said.

Smith said footage of the attack, from the officer’s dashboard camera, was handed over to the police.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage was also being extracted. News24