*This article was amended after publishing. Lowvelder previously reported that a couple was shot dead in their sleep in Chochocho near Acornhoek, but have since been reliably informed that the incident actually occurred in Chochocho near Masoyi.

Police are hunting for those responsible after a 45-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were shot dead at their home in Chochocho, near Acornhoek in Mpumalanga this morning.

The Lowvelder reports that, according to information from the police, the couple were asleep in their house when unknown people forced entry into the house and shot at them.

Both victims were certified dead at the scene, said Colonel Mavela Masondo, Mpumalanga police spokesperson.

Police say the motive for the killing is unclear at this stage and appealed to anyone with information that could assist with the investigation to contact them.

SAPS has opened a case of double murder for investigation.