Luke Fleurs of Team South Africa makes his way towards the pitch prior to the Men's First Round Group A match between France and South Africa on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Police said on Wednesday they have arrested six suspects for the murder of footballer Luke Fleurs, who played for popular Johannesburg club Kaizer Chiefs.
The 24-year-old defender was gunned down last week as he refilled his car at a petrol station in a northwestern suburb of Johannesburg, in the latest incident to shock the crime-ridden nation.
“Police have arrested six suspects for the alleged hijacking and murder,” police spokesman Mavela Masondo said.
Authorities have said Fleurs was waiting to be served at a petrol station in his Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI when he was confronted by two men, who ordered him out of the vehicle at gunpoint.
Once he got out of his car, they shot him before driving away in his vehicle.
Masondo said the arrests were made early on Wednesday in Soweto — two days after detectives recovered Fleurs’s car.
Investigators believe the suspects are part of a crime syndicate responsible for other car hijackings in Gauteng province.
“The search for more suspects is continuing,” Masondo said.
South Africa suffers from a soaring violent crime rate — a key political issue ahead of general elections in May, with opposition parties pointing to the government’s perceived failure.
The country recorded almost 84 murders a day between October and December, according to official figures.
Kaizer Chiefs is one of South Africa’s top teams, having won a record 53 domestic trophies.
© Agence France-Presse