Luke Fleurs’ father led a touching tribute to the late Kaizer Chiefs player, who was gunned down in a botched hijacking in Honeydew, Johannesburg, last week. The 24-year-old was remembered in a memorial service that took place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday, 11 April.
On Friday, six suspects made their first appearance in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder and theft. His car – a VW Golf 8GTI – has since been recovered.
Luke will be laid to rest on Saturday, 20 April, in Cape Town.
LUKE FLEURS MEMORIAL: TOUCHING TRIBUTE LED BY DAD
Addressing the crowd at the FNB Stadium, Luke Fleurs Theodore’s dad reflected on the much-loved soccer star.
“I want to dance now like Luke. He loved dancing”, he joked of viral clips of his son showing off his moves.
Hailing him his “special boy,” he continued: “Everywhere he played, he was an exceptional person. He wanted to see his team achieve, even on the national stage.
Theodore claimed he first noticed Luke’s talent at the age of three: “He wasn’t afraid to tackle the guys who were twice his size or age. From that day onwards, I never stopped pushing him”.
“He had something special to give to the world. He was an angel sent from above”.
@futbol_army RIP Luke Fleurs 🕊🕊 #SAMA28 #futbol_army #africanfootball #riplukefleurs #lukefleurs #kaizerchiefs #kaizerchiefsfans #amakhosi4life #Khosified #fyp #trending #footballtiktok ♬ original sound – futbol_army
The memorial service comes shortly after Kaizer Chiefs announced it would be retiring Luke Fleurs’ jersey number – 26.
Sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr said in a statement: “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,” he continued.
“Moving forward, we have many other things that we’re going to do to honour Luke; that’s just the first step.”
The Fleurs family have thanked the police for their swift action, as has his club, Kaizer Chiefs.
Motaung told the broadcaster: “It is a massive relief. To be very fair, having seen cases that have gone before, people lose their lives and disappear into the darkness. No one knows what’s happening.
“There are countless cases that we know of where perpetrators are only caught years after, if ever, so I think a massive thank you to the authorities. They really have shown that no criminal will hide and that they can find you anywhere.