Former world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete has been shot and killed outside his home. The South African boxing star was gunned down outside his residence in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa when two armed men opened fire on him, according to a statement from police and the country’s Minister of Sport.
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Tete assassination in South Africa: Armed men open fire outside his home
The 38-year-old had just arrived at his home in the Mdantsane municipality when two hooded gunmen stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire on him. “I’m not going to speculate about who did this or why,” Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement.
Tete’s murder is expected to reignite the debate over South Africa’s spiraling crime crisis, as the country continues to record one of the highest homicide rates in the world, despite a recent decline in murder statistics. The death of the world champion has caused profound grief in Mdantsane, an Eastern Cape township that has produced some of South Africa’s most celebrated boxing talents.
27-year-old woman hospitalized after being shot alongside Tete
A 27-year-old woman who was traveling in the vehicle with Tete was also struck by multiple gunshots and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Police have launched a formal investigation into the incident, while the motive behind the attack remains unknown.
Tete claimed the IBF world title in the junior bantamweight division in 2014, defeating Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita in Kobe. He later added the WBO bantamweight world title to his collection of accolades.
On the international stage, however, he is perhaps best remembered for the stunning knockout he delivered against fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in Belfast in November 2017. Tete needed just 11 seconds to finish the fight — a performance that stands as the fastest knockout in world title boxing history.
