Tragedy struck the South African football community as Luke Fleurs, a rising star for Kaizer Chiefs, was fatally shot during a car hijacking at a petrol station in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida.
The 24-year-old footballer, waiting to be attended to at the station, was approached by unknown assailants who demanded he exit his vehicle.
Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, said that despite Fleurs’ compliance with the assailants demand, “the suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body,” while one of the suspects reportedly fled the scene with Fleurs’ car after the shooting.
Kaizer Chiefs, a renowned club in South Africa with 12 league titles to its name, expressed sorrow over Fleurs’ death, noting that authorities were handling the investigation and pledged to provide further updates.
Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa lamented the loss, saying 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, having previously played for SuperSport United. He represented South Africa in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as part of the Under-23 international team and was reportedly on the brink of making his debut for the senior national team.
Described as a “classy defender” with “great technical abilities” by Kaizer Chiefs, Fleurs began his football journey in the Ubuntu Cape Town Academy in 2013, as reported by local media.
The Premier Soccer League announced that a moment of silence would be observed at all top-flight and second-tier games over the weekend in honour of Fleurs.
South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan expressed profound grief over Fleurs’ passing, acknowledging the significant loss to his family, friends, teammates, and the football community at large.
Social media flooded with tributes from football enthusiasts mourning Fleurs’ untimely demise, with soccer presenter Carol Tshabalala lamenting the loss of a promising talent.
Fleurs’ tragic death serves as a grim reminder of South Africa’s struggle with gun violence, amidst a backdrop of escalating incidents, including mass shootings, in recent years. The country contends with one of the world’s highest murder rates, according to police data.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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