JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: South African police announced on Wednesday the arrest of six suspects in connection with the tragic murder of 24-year-old footballer Luke Fleurs, a player for the renowned Johannesburg club Kaizer Chiefs.
Fleurs was fatally shot last week while refueling his car at a gas station in a northwestern suburb of Johannesburg, a shocking incident that has reverberated through the crime-weary nation.
According to police spokesman Mavela Masondo (SAPS), the suspects were apprehended for their alleged involvement in the hijacking and murder of Fleurs. The footballer was targeted by two assailants who ordered him out of his Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI at gunpoint before fatally shooting him and fleeing in his vehicle.
The arrests were carried out early on Wednesday in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, following the recovery of Fleurs’s car by detectives two days prior. Investigators suspect the apprehended individuals are linked to a broader crime syndicate responsible for car hijackings in Johannesburg’s Gauteng province.
Masondo emphasized that the search for additional suspects is ongoing.
South Africa’s alarming rate of violent crime remains a pressing political issue, particularly as the country approaches general elections in May. Recent official figures revealed an average of nearly 84 murders per day between October and December.
Kaizer Chiefs, a storied football club in South Africa, has captured 53 domestic trophies, solidifying its status as one of the country’s premier teams.
