Sports Desk Reporter
Former two-time world champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete has been shot and killed at his home in Mdantsane, Buffalo City.
The 38-year-old boxer was waiting for his gate to open when two armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and opened fire.
Tete was declared dead at the scene. A 27-year-old woman who was travelling with him sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital.
Police have opened a murder docket, but no arrests have been made, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
The killing has sent shockwaves through Buffalo City, where Tete was regarded as one of Mdantsane’s most accomplished sporting figures.
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie described Tete as one of the finest fighters produced by the country and appealed to anyone with information to assist investigators.
“South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced,” McKenzie said.
“Zolani ‘Last Born’ Tete was shot and killed this evening in Mdantsane, at his own home, at the age of 38,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie extended his condolences to Tete’s family and the people of Mdantsane. He also wished the injured woman a full recovery and asked that the privacy of both families be respected.
“I want to speak first to his family and to the people of Mdantsane. There are no words I can offer tonight that will be equal to what you have lost.
“Your son’s name will not be treated lightly by this country, and my Department and I are at your disposal in the days ahead, in whatever way is useful to you,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie said he would not speculate about who was responsible or why Tete was targeted.
“That investigation belongs to the South African Police Service, and the detectives working it tonight need support,” McKenzie said.
He appealed to anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.
“Two armed men in balaclavas got out of a car in Mdantsane and killed one of our greatest world champions at his own front gate, and they are still out there tonight.
“I appeal to anyone who saw anything, who knows anything, who heard anything, to come forward. Somebody in that community knows who did this,” McKenzie said.
Executive Mayor of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Councillor Princess Faku also expressed her condolences to Tete’s family, friends, the boxing fraternity and the people of Buffalo City.
She described him as “one of our own sons” who had carried the city’s name with pride on the international stage.
“This evening, Buffalo City has lost not only a champion in the boxing ring, but one of our own sons who carried the name of our city with pride onto the international stage.
“Zolani Tete was a symbol of determination, discipline, resilience and excellence.
“We are deeply saddened that a life that gave so much inspiration to our communities has been cut short in such a tragic manner. There are no words adequate to express our pain,” Faku said.
Faku said Tete’s contribution to boxing and his place in Buffalo City’s sporting history would not be forgotten.
“To the people of Buffalo City, let us remember Zolani not only for the tragic circumstances of his passing, but for the champion he was, the records he set and the pride he brought to Mdantsane, Buffalo City, the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
“His achievements inspired a generation of young people to believe in themselves and to pursue their dreams regardless of where they come from. His legacy belongs not only to his family and the boxing fraternity, but to the entire city that proudly called him one of its own,” Faku said.
Faku also condemned the killing and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
“As a city, we condemn this senseless violence. We call on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in bringing those responsible to justice. The people of Buffalo City deserve to live in communities where human life is respected and protected,” Faku said.
Tete was born and raised in Mdantsane and began boxing at the age of eight before turning professional in 2006.
His first world title came in July 2014 when he defeated Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita on points to win the IBF junior bantamweight title.
In 2017, Tete defeated Arthur Villanueva on points in Leicester to win the WBO interim bantamweight title. He was subsequently elevated to full world champion.
Later that year, he stopped fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds in Belfast. The victory became the fastest knockout in a world title fight.
McKenzie reflected on Tete’s journey from Mdantsane to the top of international boxing.
“Zolani Tete was a two-division world champion,” McKenzie said.
“In 2014 he went to Kobe in Japan, into a foreign ring in front of a crowd that wanted him beaten, and came home with the IBF junior bantamweight title.
“He took the WBO bantamweight title and defended it against the best of his generation, in Belfast, in Yekaterinburg, wherever the fight was put in front of him,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie added: “And on a November night in 2017 he did something no fighter in the history of the sport had done: he ended a world title fight in 11 seconds.
“That record still stands. It belongs to the boy from NU 12, Mdantsane.”
Tete’s final professional fight came in 2022. His subsequent four-year ban expired in July 2026, with reports that he had been preparing for a return to the ring later this year.
His planned comeback has now been cut short, leaving behind a legacy in Mdantsane and South African boxing.