Former two-time world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete has been shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, at the age of 38, South African officials said. Police said Tete was arriving at his residence on Friday evening and was waiting for the gate to open when he was attacked by two masked suspects. He was fatally wounded at the scene. A 27-year-old woman travelling with him was also shot and taken to hospital. The motive for the attack remains unknown.
Tete was one of South Africa’s most successful boxers. He won the IBF junior-bantamweight world title in 2014 before claiming the WBO bantamweight championship in 2017. He became internationally renowned after knocking out fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds in 2017, a record for the fastest stoppage in a world title fight. His death came shortly after the end of a four-year suspension and as he was preparing for a return to professional boxing, according to his manager.
South Africa’s Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie expressed condolences to Tete’s family and appealed for information that could help investigators establish what happened. Tete’s killing has also drawn renewed attention to violent crime in South Africa, while provoking widespread grief in Mdantsane, a township with a long tradition of producing prominent boxers. Police say the investigation is continuing and the motive has not yet been established.
