'Shock' remains: Key player from South African powerhouse nearly died... Ambushed by gunman, dramatically escaped alive "Police investigating"

*This content was translated by AI.

He truly came back from the dead. Defender Divine Lunga, who plays for both the Zimbabwe national football team and South Africa's prestigious club Mamelodi Sundowns, was ambushed with gunfire in Johannesburg, South Africa, but miraculously survived.

British media outlet 'BBC' and local Zimbabwean outlets reported on the 7th (Korea time) that "Zimbabwean football star Lunga survived a shooting attack in Johannesburg, and South African police have launched an investigation."

According to reports, last Sunday, while driving through Turfhof Street in Hillbrow, an outer area of downtown Johannesburg, Lunga's vehicle was shot at by unidentified assailants, but he fortunately escaped unharmed.

At the time of the incident, Lunga was heading to church with his younger brother and friends in his blue BMW. The incident began when a man standing by the roadside blocked and stopped Lunga's vehicle. This man claimed that passengers in the car ahead had been robbed of 34,000 rand (approximately 2.5 million won) and mistook Lunga's group for undercover traffic police conducting an investigation, asking for their help.

Lunga's group, who started chasing a suspected robbery vehicle to assist the man, were suddenly shot at by occupants of the fleeing car. One bullet fired by the assailant precisely pierced through Lunga's BMW, leaving a bullet hole, but fortunately, no one inside the vehicle was injured.

According to reports from local South African media, a police spokesperson stated, "The incident has been registered as attempted murder at Hillbrow Police Station and is currently under investigation. No suspects have been arrested yet."

Lunga has appeared in 21 matches for the Zimbabwe national team and is a key defender who played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers. Since joining Mamelodi, South Africa's top club, in 2021, he led the team to four consecutive domestic league titles and helped secure the club's second-ever African Champions League title last May.

Currently, So Sok-tim-gwa (CEO) has not issued an official statement regarding this shooting incident. However, the Zimbabwe national football team posted a photo of Lunga praying on its official social networking service (SNS) along with the brief message: "We believe in God."

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*This content was translated by AI.