Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete has been shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa, at the age of 38.
Tete was reportedly arriving at his residence and waiting for the gate to open when two armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and opened fire, according to South African police.
A 27-year-old woman who was travelling with Tete was also shot multiple times and was taken to hospital for treatment.
South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, confirmed Tete’s death on Friday and said authorities had launched an investigation into the shooting.
“I will not speculate about who did this or why,” McKenzie said, as police continued efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack. The motive remains unknown.
Tete, popularly known as “Last Born”, enjoyed a distinguished professional boxing career and became a two-weight world champion.
He won the IBF junior-bantamweight title in 2014 after defeating Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita in Kobe. Earlier in his career, he had also held the minor WBF flyweight title.
Tete is perhaps best remembered for his stunning 11-second knockout of fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in Belfast in November 2017.
The victory remains one of the fastest stoppages in a world title fight. Tete recorded the knockout while defending the WBO bantamweight title, which he had won earlier that year and held until 2019.
His death comes only weeks after the end of a four-year suspension from boxing. Tete was banned after testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol following his 2022 bout against Jason Cunningham.
The suspension ended on July 29, and Tete had reportedly been preparing for a return to professional boxing.
The shooting has sent shockwaves through the South African boxing community, with Tete remembered for his achievements in the ring and his status as one of the country’s prominent world champions.
Police investigations into the killing are ongoing, with authorities yet to establish a motive or identify the suspected attackers.
