South African law enforcement officials have taken four people into custody in connection with the fatal shooting of celebrated two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete, who was killed in an ambush outside his Eastern Cape home last Friday. The 38-year-old former titleholder, who had recently completed a four-year doping ban and was actively training for a much-anticipated comeback to the ring, was gunned down in Mdantsane as he waited in his vehicle for his residential gate to open. A 27-year-old woman who was travelling with Tete was also wounded in the attack and remains hospitalized for treatment.
According to official accounts of the incident, two armed attackers wearing balaclavas exited a separate vehicle and opened fire with multiple rounds at Tete and his passenger. The first suspect, a 22-year-old man taken into custody on Saturday, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Monday, where he will face formal charges of murder and attempted murder. The three remaining suspects were arrested on Sunday, and are set to appear in court this coming Tuesday. Two of these three suspects are already facing charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, though it has not yet been confirmed whether they will also face murder and attempted murder charges connected to Tete’s killing.
Tete leaves behind a decorated combat record in professional boxing, with a career total of 29 wins, four losses, and one no-contest ruling across 34 bouts. He claimed his first world title in 2014, when he won the IBF super-flyweight belt, before holding the WBO bantamweight crown from 2017 to 2019. He also secured a place in Guinness World Records for the fastest knockout in the history of professional title fights, stopping his opponent Siboniso Gonya just 11 seconds into their 2017 bout. Tete fought eight times across the United Kingdom during his career, including memorable bouts against Paul Butler in 2015 and Jason Cunningham in 2022. That 2022 knockout win over Cunningham was later overturned to a no-contest after Tete tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol, leading UK Anti-Doping Agency to issue a four-year competition ban that expired just last month.
In the weeks following the end of his ban, Tete had returned to full training to prepare for a comeback fight, his manager Mla Tengimfene confirmed following his death. Since news of the champion’s killing broke, tributes have poured in from across South Africa’s sporting and political communities. South Africa’s current Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie called the loss a devastating blow for the nation, saying “South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced.” Former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula also honored Tete’s legacy, remembering him as a “great South African who has made an immense contribution in the sport of boxing”.