Former Zimbabwe footballer Charles Yohane was shot dead South Africa at the age of 48, apparently as a result of a carjacking.
Yohane was a member of the Warriors’ debut squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004.
He had worked as a football coach and a taxi driver in Johannesburg after retiring from playing.
His body was discovered in Soweto on Monday, despite the fact that he is believed to have died on Saturday night.
“He was kidnapped, they took his car, and they shot him in the head,” Lewis, his brother, told BBC Sport.
Yohane moved to South Africa from Zimbabwe in 1996 and played for Wits, where he became captain and set a club record with 268 appearances from 1997 to 2006.
He later became the Wits’ developmental coach, but was fired when the club sold its franchise to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in 2020.
Yohane represented Zimbabwe 23 times, quickly establishing himself as the country’s first-choice left-back in 1996, while playing for CAPS United in Harare.
Innocent Chikoya, a good friend of his, played with him at Fire Batteries FC before moving to African Wanderers in South Africa, with Yohane returning briefly to Zimbabwe in 1996 for a stint with Caps United.
“He wasn’t a friend; he was a brother who died in tragic circumstances,” Chikoya told BBC Sport.
“He was a clever, intelligent footballer with a knack for getting things done. He was a disciplined and dedicated leader.
“I’ll be picking up his body from the funeral home on Thursday and taking him home.”
Edelbert Dinha, a Zimbabwean living in South Africa, was a member of Zimbabwe’s squad at the 2006 Nations Cup and was close to Yohane.
“We tried calling him from Saturday to Monday and couldn’t get through,” Dinha said to BBC Sport. “After that, I went to the police station.
“Charles was a quiet man who smiled all the time and never argued with anyone. In the ABC Motsepe League, he was coaching Leruma United FC.”
