In a significant development, the South African Police Service (SAPC) announced on Wednesday (April 10) that six individuals have been apprehended in connection with the tragic killing of footballer and Olympian, Luke Fleurs.

The 24-year-old defender was fatally shot while awaiting service at a petrol station in Johannesburg’s Honeydew suburb on April 3rd.

In an official statement, the police disclosed that a team, spearheaded by Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, had diligently pursued leads to locate and arrest the suspects allegedly involved in the hijacking and subsequent murder of the Kaizer Chiefs player. The team successfully recovered Fleurs’ vehicle and detained six individuals.

The arrests were made in Slovoville, Soweto, during the early hours of Wednesday, with the stripped vehicle discovered earlier on Monday.

Law enforcement suspects the apprehended individuals to be part of a larger syndicate responsible for car hijackings in Gauteng, and efforts to locate additional suspects are underway.

Heading the operation is Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection, Major General Mbuso Khumalo, along with a comprehensive team including the SAPS Provincial Investigation Unit, SAPS National Crime Intelligence, SAPS Drone Unit, Honeydew Detectives, Honeydew Crime Intelligence, CAP Special Operations, and Fidelity Specialized Services.

The arrested suspects are slated to appear before the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday, April 12, 2024.

This incident underscores the ongoing challenge of violent crime in South Africa, which has seen a concerning increase over the past decade. In the year leading to February 2023, there were 27,494 murders reported, marking a stark contrast from the 16,213 recorded in 2012-2013. With South Africa’s homicide rate at 45 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.3 in the United States and approximately 1 in most European countries, addressing and curbing such violence remains a critical priority.