Police say a footballer who played five times for South Africa was stabbed to death in a nightclub.
Jeffrey Ntuka was killed in the early hours of Saturday.
Michael Hughes, a representative of Ntuka's agent, Stella Africa, told football website Kickoff.com the player was killed in the central South African town of Kroonstad.
The 26-year-old defender had been in the squad of local giants Kaizer Chiefs for two years but was without a club this season after his contract with Supersport United expired.
Stella Africa's Michael Hughes told South African sport website IOL: "I spoke to his wife for a couple of minutes and she confirmed that Ntuka has passed away after being stabbed in a township in Kroonstad.
"Unfortunately, trouble seemed to follow Jeffrey around. He tried hard to surround himself with the right people and club-mates. But he struggled to really shake the image and stories that dogged his career.
"When his contract expired with [SuperSport] United, he had an unsuccessful trial with a second division Belgian side. We have been motivating him and he has been keeping fit."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
