South Africa mourns football star Luke Fleurs shot dead in car hijacking at petrol station

South African footballer Luke Fleurs has been killed in a car hijacking at a petrol station in Johannesburg. The 24-year-old Kaizer Chiefs player was ambushed by unknown gunmen who asked him to step out of the car while waiting to be attended to at the pump station.

One suspect fled with Fleurs’ car after the shooting, according to the BBC. “The suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body,” Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told local media.

Kaizer Chiefs, a highly prestigious club in South Africa with 12 league titles, described the death of Luke Fleurs as tragic. The club stated that the police were investigating the matter and promised to share more information later.

Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa said he was “saddened that yet another life has been cut short due to violent crime”.

Fleurs, a defender, had joined Kaizer Chiefs in the previous year, after playing for SuperSport United. The former Under-23 international who competed for South Africa in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was on the verge of making his debut for the senior national team.

Described as a “classy defender” with “great technical abilities” by Kaizer Chiefs on their website, Fleurs started his career in 2013 at the Ubuntu Cape Town Academy.

The Premier Soccer League announced that a moment of silence will be observed at all top-flight and second-tier games this weekend in honor of Fleurs.

“We woke up to the heartbreaking and devastating news of the passing of this young life,” South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan said in a statement.

“This is such a huge loss for his family, friends, his teammates, and football in general.”

Football fans and pundits have been paying tribute to the defender on social media.

“The football family has lost a bright flame,” soccer presenter Carol Tshabalala posted on social media platform X.

South Africa is facing a surge in gun violence, marked by numerous mass shootings in recent years. Police data reveal that the country has one of the highest murder rates globally.