Shocking images have emerged of the moment a boy was shot in the face by police by a rubber bullet at close range in South Africa.

The still images from September 12, compiled into video form for Newsflare, show the moment an armed policeman in riot gear runs up to a group of children crouched behind a barricade. He then raises his weapon and points it in the direction of the children.

The filmer writes: "I'm hoping this quick sequence of images will lay some of the controversy to rest. The image below clearly shows the police officer firing (what I believe to be) his last round at the individuals under the table before coming to a stop face on.

"I cannot confirm if this shot was the one that hit the boy, but I was sharing a similar angle with the officer and could not tell who the occupants were."

According to local reports, a 14-year-old Cape Town boy is to undergo surgery to have a rubber bullet removed from his mouth after he was shot by police. He is also reported to have suffered broken ribs and a smashed tongue.

The incident happened during protests over fishing quotas in Hout Bay‚ Cape Town, local media said.

14 Year Old Boy shot in the mouth (12/09/17): There is a lot of news circulating at the moment around the 14 year old boy that was shot in the mouth at close range by police yesterday in Hangberg.