Former World Champion Boxer Zolani Tete Shot Dead at His Home in South Africa
Zolani Tete, a two-time world boxing champion from South Africa, was shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, on Friday evening. He was 38.
Tete was in his car, waiting for his gate to open, when two armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from a nearby vehicle and opened fire. The attack happened at approximately 6:30pm in the NU 17 area of Mdantsane, near KuGompo (SABC News). A 27-year-old female passenger travelling with Tete was also shot and remained in hospital.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed that Tete succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased at the scene (Yahoo Sports). The two suspects fled. No arrests have been made, and South African police have opened a murder investigation (News24).
South Africa's minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, said the country had "lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced" and confirmed that a major investigation is under way (BBC Sport).
Tete's career was defined by elite skill across two weight divisions. He held the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014 and the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 — meaning he was recognised as the best in the world by two of boxing's four major sanctioning bodies at different weights. In 2015 he beat Liverpool's Paul Butler, one of several British opponents he faced over the years.
His most famous night came in 2017, when he knocked out Siboniso Gonya inside 11 seconds to retain his WBO bantamweight belt. The finish earned him a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight.
Tete finished his career with 29 wins in 34 fights, four losses and one no-contest. His final appearance in the ring was in July 2022, when he knocked out Briton Jason Cunningham in London. That result was later ruled a no-contest after Tete tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. He was handed a four-year ban by the UK Anti-Doping Agency.
That ban ended on 29 July 2026. His manager, Mla Tengimfene, confirmed Tete had been training for a comeback fight at the time of his death (BBC Sport).
Mdantsane, the township where Tete lived and died, has produced generations of South African boxing champions. It is a community where the sport runs deep, making the violence that took Tete's life all the more jarring for those who knew the area as a cradle of talent rather than a place of danger.
Police are appealing for information as the search for the two suspects continues.
