CAPE TOWN – ZOLANI Tete, a two-time world champion boxer, has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa.
The 38-year-old was killed in an apparent ambush in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, at around 6:30pm on Friday night, officials confirmed.
Police said he had been arriving at his residence when he was approached by two unknown armed suspects wearing balaclavas while he was parking his vehicle.
The suspects, who are still at large, emerged from a vehicle and opened fire on Tete and a 27-year-old female passenger, who remains in hospital.
“He unfortunately succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased on the scene,” police spokesperson Brigadier Nobantu Gantsana said.
“The female passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. She remains hospitalised.”
Gantsana revealed: “In an attempt to escape the hail of bullets, the deceased drove his vehicle into the yard.
“Tete most notably held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019. He also holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight after he knocked out Siboniso Gonya inside just 11 seconds in 2017.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said: “South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced. Zolani ‘Last Born’ Tete was shot and killed this evening in Mdantsane, at his own home, at the age of 38. A 27-year-old woman who was in the car with him was shot multiple times and is in hospital tonight. I wish her a full recovery, and I ask that her privacy and the family’s 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 any way, in whatever way is useful to you.
“He was sitting at his own gate, waiting for it to open, and that is where they came for him. I will not speculate about who did this or why. That investigation belongs to the South African Police Service, and the detectives working it tonight need support. – Daily Mail UK
