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Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of South African boxing champion Zolani Tete, who was shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape.
Tete, 38, was killed on Friday in what authorities have described as an ambush. He was reportedly sitting inside his car waiting for the gate to his residence to open when two armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from another vehicle and fired multiple shots at him and a 27-year-old woman who was travelling with him.
The woman survived the attack and is currently receiving medical treatment.
A 22-year-old suspect, who was arrested on Saturday, is expected to appear in court on Monday, facing charges of murder and attempted murder. Three other suspects arrested on Sunday are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Two of them have been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, while authorities have not confirmed whether additional charges will be filed against them.
Tete was one of South Africa’s most successful boxers, holding the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014. He also set a Guinness World Record in 2017 after knocking out Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds during a title fight.
Tributes have poured in following his death, with Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie describing him as “one of the finest fighters South Africa has ever produced.”
Former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula also paid tribute to Tete, calling him “a great South African who has made an immense contribution in the sport of boxing.”
Tete fought 34 professional bouts, recording 29 victories, four defeats and one no-contest. His final fight came in July 2022, when his knockout victory over Britain’s Jason Cunningham was later changed to a no-contest after he failed a drug test for the banned substance stanozolol.
The UK Anti-Doping Agency handed him a four-year ban, which ended in July this year. His manager, Mla Tengimfene, said Tete had been preparing for a return to boxing before his death.
