Luke Fleurs, a former South African junior soccer player, who was part of the popular club Kaizer Chiefs, has tragically died in an attempted car theft in Johannesburg, as confirmed by the police.
The 24-year-old was shot in the chest at a gas station on Wednesday night, and the attackers drove away with his vehicle. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo informed reporters that two armed individuals confronted Fleurs while he was waiting to be served by the gas station attendant. No arrests have been made yet in connection with the incident.
Fleurs, who played as a center-back, represented South Africa in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, where he played in every match. He was also called up to the senior national team for World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia in the same year, although he did not get a chance to play. The news of his passing has deeply saddened the South African Football Association, with its president Danny Jordaan, expressing condolences to Fleurs’ family, friends, teammates, and the football community as a whole.
The Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture in South Africa, Zizi Kodwa, also expressed sorrow over Fleurs’ untimely death, lamenting another life lost to violent crime. Fleurs had recently joined Kaizer Chiefs from SuperSport United in October, having started his football journey at the Ubuntu Football Academy in Cape Town. Sadly, Fleurs’ death adds to the long list of victims of fatal car hijackings in South Africa, a country known for its high murder rates.