Zimbabwe international Divine Lunga escapes gunfire in Johannesburg

A Zimbabwean football star is safe after bullets tore into his car during a tense encounter on the streets of Johannesburg.

Divine Lunga, a 31-year-old defender who plays for both Zimbabwe's national team and South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, was driving his blue BMW through the inner-city district of Hillbrow on Sunday when the situation turned dangerous.

According to police report, a stranger flagged down Lunga and the friends riding with him. The man claimed he'd just been robbed of around $2,100, and believed the group were undercover traffic officers. Wanting to help, Lunga and his companions agreed to chase down the vehicle the man pointed out as the culprits.

That decision nearly cost them their lives. As they pursued the car, someone inside it opened fire. A bullet punched a hole clean through the BMW's bodywork. Remarkably, nobody in Lunga's car was hurt.

Police in Hillbrow have opened a case of attempted murder, though no arrests have been made yet. Investigators are still piecing together exactly who fired the shots and why.

The incident has renewed attention on the risks of everyday life in central Johannesburg, an area long associated with high crime rates. South Africa consistently ranks among the countries with the highest murder rates in the world.

For Lunga, life carried on quickly. He turned up for Sundowns training the very next day, as the club's players report back ahead of the new season. The reigning African champions are due to fly to Austria shortly for a pre-season camp, with warm-up matches against Red Bull Salzburg and Saudi side Al Hilal on the schedule.

On the pitch, Lunga has built a strong reputation since joining Sundowns from Golden Arrows in 2021, helping the club claim four league titles and, this year, a second CAF Champions League crown.

Internationally, he's a regular fixture for Zimbabwe's Warriors, having earned his first cap back in 2015 and featured at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.