Kaizer Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung has expressed his condolences to the family of former striker Marc Batchelor, who was shot dead in Johannesburg on Monday evening.
Batchelor played for the Amakhosi in the late 1990s, while he also turned out for Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Moroka Swallows, amongst others.
He was aged 49 at the time of his death.
“I am shocked to learn about the passing of former Kaizer Chiefs player Marc Batchelor. On behalf of Kaizer Chiefs, I wish to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and the football fraternity. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Chiefs chairman Motaung said on Tuesday.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/marcbatchelor?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#marcbatchelor pic.twitter.com/BT9H9LrA1P
— Kaizer Chiefs Foootball (@Kaizer_ChiefsFC)
Batchelor was gunned down in a hail of bullets as he pulled up at his house in Olivedale, north of Johannesburg, according to the police.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini told IOL Sport on Monday night that Batchelor, who was accompanied in the car by his gardener, was shot by two men on a motorbike.
“We understand that his wife was home at the time, but we can’t confirm if the children were inside house too,” Dlamini told The Star on Tuesday.
“The deceased was just outside the house and driving in when he was shot. The deceased was travelling with his gardener who was not injured in the attack.
“We have obtained a statement from him. We are following leads on the two suspects who were on the motorbike who shot him. He was shot several times on the upper body while inside his car.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Pirates also released a statement about Batchelor, who was part of the 1995 squad that won the African Champions League.
“Batch, as he was affectionately known, was not known for his speed or skill, but play anything to his head, and he was in a league of his own.
“Batch was part of the Pirates team that conquered the continent in 1995, where he featured in the first leg of the final against Asec Mimosas as a starter before being replaced by Bruce Ramokadi in the second leg, where he came off the bench in Pirates’ famous victory over the Ivorian giants.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMarcBatchelor?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMarcBatchelor
⚫⚪🔴⭐ #OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/c1YT8w8aRA
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates)
@ashfakmohamed