There was no evidence that former cricketer Louis Vorster was murdered in a hit or for a bag of diamonds, police said on Wednesday.
Vorster, 46, a former Namibian and South African domestic cricketer, was shot dead at a filling station in Muldersdrift on Tuesday night.
“We urge people who have information regarding the murder to come forward,” Lieutenant-Colonel Tshisikhwawe Ndou said.
Beeld newspaper reported that an acquaintance of Vorster told rescue workers at the scene that a bag stolen from his vehicle could have contained diamonds.
Ndou could not confirm if this was true. He said the contents of the bag were still not known. “If anyone knows what was inside the bag they should personally come forward and tell the police,” he said. “We are still busy with investigations and as soon as all the analyses have been done and we have identified the suspects, we will communicate with the media to help us catch the suspects.
“We are also asking the public to help us get information,” said Ndou.
The cricket world is still in shock following the death of Vorster, with many speaking highly of the man they considered an all round sportsman.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Jacques Faul said it was a very sad day for southern African cricket.
“Louis did a great deal for cricket, both in South Africa and Namibia, where he played for and coached the national team. In the South African context, he was the first top player to come out of the North West area and he and his father, a leading coach at Volkskool Potchefstroom where Louis went to school, were pioneers in making cricket the popular sport it is at Afrikaans-medium schools today. On behalf of the CSA family I extend our deepest sympathy to his family,” said Faul.
Former teammate of Vorster, Joubert Strydom, said he was very sad to have lost a teammate and a friend who always gave his all in everything he did. “He was a very loveable guy. He made sure he did his best and gave 100 percent in everything he did. This is a major loss to the cricket fraternity,” said Strydom.
Vorster was described by CSA as an extremely talented left-handed batsman who first came to the fore when he was selected for the SA Schools Tour of England in 1983. He went on to represent Transvaal and Northerns as well as having stints abroad for Namibia, Matebeleland and Worcestershire, whom he represented in their tour match against the West Indies in 1988.
His first-class career spanned more than two decades as his last first-class appearance for Namibia was at the start of the 2009-10 season. He had a career best first-class score of 188 for Northerns B. - Pretoria News