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JOHANNESBURG. – Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates striker Marc Batchelor was shot dead in Johannesburg on Monday night.

The 49-year-old was a larger than life character who had the distinction of scoring for both Soweto giants in the Derby, and also played for Moroka Swallows at the tail-end of his career.

Batchelor also featured in the South African Premier Soccer League for Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United, and won numerous trophies, including the CAF Champions Cup with Pirates in 1995. He retired at the end of the 2002/03 season and later became a television pundit.

Despite success at club level, he was never capped by South Africa.

And Police investigating the purported “hit” on Batchelor have obtained a statement from a passenger who was not injured when the striker’s SUV was pierced by bullets in Olivedale, Johannesburg. “His gardener was with him in the car and we have obtained a statement from him because he is a witness,” police spokesperson Col Lungelo Dlamini told TimesLIVE yesterday. “Fortunately he was not injured.” – Sport24.