Two-time world boxing champion Tete shot dead outside home

Two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete shot dead outside home Zolani Tete, a 38‑year‑old former world champion, was killed in an ambush outside his residence in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, on Friday. Police said Tete was seated in his car, waiting for the gate to his home to open, when two armed suspects wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and fired multiple shots at him and a 27‑year‑old female passenger. The woman remains hospitalized. South Africa’s minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, declared, “South Africa has lost 1 of the finest fighters it has ever produced.” He added that the two suspects have fled the country and a large‑scale investigation is now underway. Tete’s professional record includes holding the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and the IBF super‑flyweight title in 2014. He defeated Liverpool’s Paul Butler in 2015 during one of his eight bouts in the United Kingdom. In 2017 he set a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight, ending his contest with Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds. His most recent bout occurred in July 2022, when he knocked out Briton Jason Cunningham in London; the result was later overturned to a no‑contest after Tete tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. The UK Anti‑Doping Agency imposed a four‑year ban, which concluded on 29 July 2026. Following his death, manager Mla Tengimfene confirmed that Tete had been preparing for a comeback fight. Over his career Tete amassed 29 victories in 34 professional fights, suffered four losses and recorded one no‑contest.