Former Bidvest Wits captain and Zimbabwe defender Yohane murdered in South Africa

Bidvest Wits legend Charles Yohane has died after being murdered in South Africa over the weekend.

The former Zimbabwe international was hijacked and shot dead by unknown perpetrators in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Yohane's good friend and former Zimbabwe teammate Innocent Chikoya confirmed the retired player's death.

"He wasn't a friend, he was a brother, and we have lost him in bad circumstances," Chikoya told BBC Sport.

"He was clever, an intelligent footballer, he had ways of getting things done. He was a leader, disciplined and dedicated," Chikoya, who played with Yohane at Fire Batteries and African Wanderers, added.

"I will be collecting his body from the funeral parlour on Thursday and will be taking him home."

Having started his career at Batteries in his home country, Yohane first arrived in South Africa in 1994 and he joined Wanderers.

The retired defender-come-midfielder, who was a nomadic player in the early stages of his career, spent a year with Wanderers, before rejoining Batteries.

However, Yohane later returned to South Africa in 1996 after signing for Wanderers' KwaZulu-Natal rivals, AmaZulu FC, before moving to Wits in the following year. 

The left-sided player, who could operate as a left-back and left-winger, achieved legendary status at Wits making 268 appearances and scoring 44 goals for the Students between 1997 and 2006.

Yohane then had a two-year spell with FC AK, who were campaigning in the National First Division before hanging up his boots in 2008. 

The Harare-born player was part of the Warriors squad which took part in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia and he announced his retirement from international football in 2007.

He served as a coach in the Wits academy until the now-defunct club sold its PSL status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in 2020.