A man was shot and killed by the motorist he tried to rob during peak-hour traffic in Pinetown, west of Durban, on Monday.

Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said a motorist had been sitting in his car in Anderson Road when he was accosted by two men.

“It is alleged that one [of the men] switched off the engine and the other put a knife against the neck of the driver, before demanding money and his cellphone,” he said.