South African reggae musician, Lucky Dube, has been shot dead in front of his children in Johannesburg during an attempted car hijacking.

He had been dropping his teenage son and daughter off in the suburb of Rosettenville on Thursday evening.   Police say they were already out of the car when three shots were fired through a car window killing their father.   One of South Africa's most popular artists, Lucky Dube toured the world singing about social problems.  His murder is a reflection of the high crime rate in South Africa.  On Thursday evening Mr. Dube's silver-grey Chrysler was surrounded by a group of investigating officers, there were bloodstains on the seats and shattered windows.   Police said after the shots were fired, the car rolled a few meters down the road and crashed into a tree.   "He was declared dead on the scene," Police inspector Lorrain Van Immareck told reporters.   She said it was suspected that three people were responsible for the attack.  

Local radio stations have been flooded with tearful callers expressing outrage at the murder and renewing demands that the authorities act to curtail crime.  South Africa's leader paid tribute to him and called on people to "confront this terrible scourge of crime".  Alongside Bob Marley, Lucky Dube was thought of as one of the great reggae artists - singing about social problems.  He was also one of the apartheid regime's most outspoken critics.   Music producer TK of TS records and a friend of Dube's says the killing was tragically ironic.

"The whole continent has lost a performer, musician, a guy that fought for freedom in his own way, in his own right, was just shot by some guy who wanted to take his car, you know, which is Mickey Mouse really," he said.

Opposition parties and the youth wing of the ruling African National Congress party have called on the government to take drastic measures against crime.  Callers to radio stations have urged the country's rugby team to show some form of respect when they take to the field in Saturday's World Cup final against England in Paris.

President Thabo Mbeki is attending the final and took time to pay tribute to the dreadlocked reggae star before he jetted off to France.  "It's indeed very very sad that this happens to an outstanding South African, an outstanding musician - world renowned," he said.   "We shall continue to act together as a people to confront this terrible scourge of crime, which has taken the lives of too many of our people - and does so every day."

The latest crime statistics are truly horrifying.  Last year a staggering 19,000 South Africans were murdered.    By comparison, Britain, which has a larger population, had about 700 murders in the same period. The impact on everyday life is severe. The rich now live in gated communities, with high walls topped by razor wire and patrolled by armed security services.   The poor must make do with what they have, sometimes using vigilante groups to try to counter the criminals.   And crime is taking its toll on business confidence.   The accountants Grant Thornton reported that 84% of the businesses they surveyed said that they or their staff had been affected by robbery, hijacking, violent crime, road rage or similar crimes in the past year.   The African National Congress (ANC) government estimates that 22 million potential tourists were scared away from coming to South Africa.  And this is undermining confidence in the country's ability to hold a successful football World Cup in 2010.

Lucky Dube began his career by singing mbaqanga (traditional Zulu) music and recorded his first album with the Super Soul band in 1982.  He later moved into reggae, producing Rastas Never Die (which was banned by the South African Government) and Think About The Children in 1984.  His albums Slave, Prisoner and Together As One saw him gain first national, and then global, recognition.   Three years ago his 1989 anti-apartheid hit Together as One, which calls for world peace and harmony, was voted one of Africa's top 10 songs.  Lucky Dube released his most recent album, Respect, in April.

Lucky Dube often told how he came by his name:  "When I was born I was sick so they thought I was going to die so they didn't give me a name till I was six months or so... They waited for me to die, but when I didn't die they said, 'Wow, he's a very lucky boy!' So they called me Lucky," he said.

Like his musical mentor - the late reggae musician Peter Tosh - Dube was killed in a robbery.

Circumstances in his 1999 track Crime and Corruption are all too common in South Africa:

"Do you ever worry
About your car being taken away from you
In broad daylight
Down highway 54
Do you ever worry
About your wife becoming
The woman in black
Do you ever worry
About leaving home and
Coming back in a coffin
With a bullet through your head
So join us and fight this."