Former world boxing champion Zolani Tete was shot dead outside his home in South Africa on Friday, according to the latest reports on the killing of the 38-year-old fighter.
Tete, who was known as Zolani “Last Born” Tete, was arriving home when he was shot. A 27-year-old woman who was with him was also shot multiple times and taken to hospital.
What police have said
Police said the motive remained unclear and that investigations had begun. At this stage, there is no confirmed explanation for the shooting, and authorities have not announced any arrests.
The death has drawn attention not only because of Tete’s profile, but also because it comes in a country that has long been associated with violent crime. South Africa remains one of the world’s murder capitals, even though the article notes that homicides have recently declined.
A decorated career cut short
Tete won the IBF junior-bantamweight title in 2014 and later added the bantamweight title in 2017, making him a two-time title winner. Across his career, he compiled 34 matches and remained a notable figure in South African boxing.
His death is especially difficult to process because he had still been training for a return to the ring. That detail adds another layer to the sense that there was more left in his career, even after years at the top level.
South Africa's sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, said the country had lost one of its finest fighters and suggested Tete still had something to give his country. His remarks reflected the scale of the loss, both for boxing and for the community that followed his career.
For now, the focus is on the investigation and the unanswered questions around Friday's shooting. But the broader impact is already clear: Zolani Tete's death has left South African boxing mourning a champion whose story ended far too soon.
