South African police are searching for the killer of national football team captain Senzo Meyiwa, who was shot dead by burglars on Sunday night.

Meyiwa, 27, was reportedly shot when he confronted two men who had entered his girlfriend’s house in Vosloorus, south of Johannesburg, at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT) and demanded mobile phones and valuables as a third man waited outside. All three men fled on foot from the house.

The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was shot in the upper body, and pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.

Police described one of the attackers as tall, dark-skinned and slim with dreadlocks and the other as short, dark-skinned and well-built.

They have offered a reward of 250,000 rand (£14,000) for information that leads to the arrest of those involved in the incident.

President Jacob Zuma led tributes to the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, saying that the nation was in “shock” at the news of his death:

“We mourn the death of this young footballer and team leader whose life has been taken away at the prime of his career. Words cannot express the nation’s shock at this loss.”

The incident highlights the high rates of violent crime that continue to plague South Africa, with over 17,000 people murdered in the country between April 2013 and March 2014.