The six accused in the murder of Kaizer Chiefs defender Luke Fleurs briefly appeared before the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning.
Fleurs, aged 24, was gunned down during a carjacking incident at a petrol station at the corner of 14th Avenue and Hendrik Potgieter Avenue in Roodepoort on Wednesday, 3 April 2024.
While waiting for service, Fleurs was confronted by armed robbers who arrived in a BMW. He succumbed to his upper body gunshot wound at the hospital.
In a swift response, a police task force apprehended six suspects in Soweto within a week of the crime.
The suspects are facing five charges, including murder, hijacking and defeating the ends of justice, among others.
At the time of his death, Fleurs had not represented the DStv Premiership giant, Amakhosi, since joining them in October 2023 after parting ways with SuperSport United.
LUKE FLEURS’ CASE POSTPONED
The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case of the six suspects to 19 April 2024. The alleged killers have been given seven days to prepare for the bail application while they remain in custody.
All the suspects have decided to apply for the services of Legal Aid lawyers, and state prosecutor Arnold Limekhaya made it clear that the state intends to oppose the bail applications.
“We will oppose bail,” Limekhaya told the court, revealing that the state has yet to receive the men’s profiles and bail statements.
The six suspects are Ndumiso Moswane, 26, Fernando Siva, 25, Nhlakanipho Dlamini, 21, Franky Xaba, 25, Maredi Mphahlele, 36, and Thembinkosi Hlomikhawu, 31.
Fleurs’ red VW Golf 8 GTI was recovered by police earlier this week, but unfortunately, the thieves had dismantled it. Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said that the arrested suspects are believed to be part of a larger car theft ring. The search for additional members of the syndicate is still underway.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr announced that Amakhosi has officially retired Fleurs’ jersey number 26 in memory of the former SA junior international.
“…That jersey will be hung up in the changing room, and it’s going to be placed first in our technical centre. His chair will always be left empty. Moving forward, we have many other things that we’re going to do to honour Luke; that’s just the first step,” said Kaizer Jr during Fleurs’ memorial service held at FNB Stadium.
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