Zolani Tete Killed in Mdantsane Ambush

Overview

• The 38-year-old two-time world champion was ambushed and shot dead as he arrived at his Mdantsane residence on Friday, and a 27-year-old woman who was with him was also wounded and taken to hospital.
• Local police opened an active investigation but have not identified suspects or released a motive, according to the police spokeswoman.
• Tete won the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014 and the WBO bantamweight title in 2017 and is remembered for an 11-second world-title knockout of Siboniso Gonya.
• He had served a four-year doping suspension and had been training for a planned return to the ring in November 2026 before his death.
• South Africa’s sports minister publicly mourned Tete and vowed to pursue those responsible, a reaction that adds to wider public concern about the country’s high rates of violent crime.