Former two-weight world champion Zolani Tete has been shot and killed outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, in a devastating attack that has sent shockwaves through South African boxing.
Tete, affectionately known as “Last Born,” was 38.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, the former champion was arriving at his residence at around 6:30pm on Friday when two armed men wearing balaclavas reportedly emerged from a vehicle and opened fire.
Tete attempted to escape the attack by driving through the residential gate, but sustained fatal gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 27-year-old woman travelling with him was also shot multiple times and taken to hospital for treatment.
Tete’s longtime manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, confirmed his death and said the boxer’s family had been notified.
Tete was preparing for a comeback
The shooting comes only weeks after Tete became eligible to return to boxing following the completion of a four-year anti-doping suspension.
His suspension, which followed a positive test for stanozolol after his 2022 victory over Jason Cunningham, officially ended on 29 July 2026.
Despite the setback, Tete had been preparing for a return to professional boxing. His team had reportedly been working towards a comeback bout on 28 November, with Tete targeting an opportunity to win a third world championship.
That comeback will now never happen.
A two-weight world champion
Tete leaves behind a remarkable professional boxing record and a legacy that places him among South Africa’s most accomplished fighters.
He captured the IBF junior-bantamweight world title in 2014, before later becoming WBO bantamweight champion, a title he held from 2017 to 2019.
He also made boxing history in Belfast in 2017 when he knocked out Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds in a WBO bantamweight world-title fight.
The victory earned Tete a place in the Guinness World Records as the fastest knockout in a world championship boxing bout.
Tete ended his career with 29 victories from 34 professional fights, including 22 wins by knockout.
South African boxing mourns
News of Tete’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from sporting and political figures, particularly in the Eastern Cape, where he was regarded as an important figure in the local boxing community.
The South African Police Service has opened murder and attempted-murder investigations. The motive for the shooting has not yet been established, and no arrests had been announced at the time of publication.
Tete’s death marks a tragic end to the career of a fighter who rose from the Eastern Cape to become a two-weight world champion and one of South Africa’s most recognisable boxing stars.
