South African footballer dies in 'hijacking incident' on Wednesday night

Africa has been the hub of producing some world-class footballers. The continent has provided some great footballers over the years. The players made a name for themselves in the European Big Clubs as well. The likes of Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and a lot more. Misfortunes can happen at any moment for any person, with one such happening on Thursday as South African footballer named Luke Fleurs was been shot dead in a car hijacking. 

The shooting took place near a petrol pump on Wednesday night in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida. The Kaizer Chiefs footballer was waiting for someone and suddenly he was approached by unknown gunmen, who ordered him to get out of the vehicle. One of the two shooters fled with the victim's car after the incident happened. He represented his national team in the 2021 Olympics at the U-23 level. 

The defender joined the club last year from the club named SuperSport United. The player was yet to make his senior national team debut but was nearing his first call from the side. But he was unfortunate that he could not make it to the senior team. The 24-year-old started his career in 2013 at the Ubuntu Cape Town Academy. The Premier Soccer League did a moment of silence will be observed at all top-flight and second-tier games this weekend in memory of Fleurs.  

Is South Africa safe for sports stars?

South African Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa was shocked and also saddened by the fact that another young guy had lost his life due to a violent crime. There has been an increase in violence in some parts of the country with several mass shootings reported in recent years. As per the reports by police, the country has one of the world's highest murder rates.

South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan said "We woke up to the heart-breaking and devastating news of the passing of this young life. This is such a huge loss for his family, friends, his teammates and football in general."