Former two-time boxing world champion Zolani Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa. The 38-year-old was killed on Friday in what has been described as an ambush in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape.
Officials stated that Tete was in his car, waiting for his house gate to open, when two armed suspects in balaclavas emerged from a vehicle. They fired "multiple shots" at him and a 27-year-old female passenger, who is currently in hospital.
South Africa's minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, commented that "South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced." McKenzie added that the two suspects fled the scene and a major investigation has been launched.
Tete held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014. He also holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight, achieved in 11 seconds in 2017.
His manager, Mla Tengimfene, confirmed that Tete had been training for a comeback fight, following the end of a four-year ban by the UK Anti-Doping Agency on 29 July 2026.