JOHANNESBURG — South African footballer Luke Fleurs has been shot dead in a car hijacking, his team says.

The shooting took place at a petrol station on Wednesday night in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida.

The 24-year-old was waiting to be attended to when he was approached by unknown gunmen, who ordered him to get out of the vehicle.

One of the suspects fled the scene with Fleurs' car after the shooting.

"The suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body," Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told local media.

His team, Kaizer Chiefs, says the death was "tragic".

It said police were handling the matter and further details would be communicated in due course.

Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa said he was "saddened that yet another life has been cut short due to violent crime".

Defender Fleurs joined Kaizer Chiefs last year. He previously played for SuperSport United.

On its website, Kaizer Chiefs describes Fleurs as a "classy defender" with "great technical abilities".

He began his career in 2013 in the Ubuntu Cape Town Academy, according to local media.

Football fans have taken to social media to mourn him. — BBC