The Sowetan daily sold out by midday on Monday when it ran a front-page picture of a male prison officer kneeling before a partly dressed policewoman.

“The South African police top management has strongly condemned the immoral acts illustrated in newspapers earlier this week,” the police said in a statement.

“The despicable behavior by the Correctional Services member and police reservist female has not only brought the SAPS (South African Police Service) into disrepute but it has also embarrassed her colleagues and other police men and women.”

The woman was fired, which police said was a “strong warning” of the consequences for officers who breached the police’s moral and ethical values.

“The immediate dismissal of the reservist is indeed very encouraging and this is indicative of how seriously we view such immorality,” said acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya.

The prison officer has been suspended from his job and handed in his notice last month, the Sowetan reported.

The newspaper published several explicit pictures — some with the warden’s holstered gun visible — from a video recording of the pair in a hospital waiting room west of Johannesburg while a suspect was being treated.

The man told the paper that he recorded the video in case the woman accused him of rape, but the video had been leaked by a friend. The encounter took place a few months ago, the report said.

“After the video went out, I planned to commit suicide by taking an overdose of pills, but my wife realised what I was planning to do and hid the pills away. I was then admitted to hospital for depression,” the man told the paper from his hospital bed.

The pictures have prompted a public storm and their publication was slammed by groups like the Commission for Gender Equality and Media Monitoring Africa.

The paper said it was sold out by midday on Monday and the news desk was flooded with calls from readers who could not find copies.