Former world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police and the country’s sports minister said.
The 38-year-old was arriving at his residence in Mdantsane township when two armed men wearing balaclavas got out of a vehicle and opened fire.
“I will not speculate about who did this or why,” Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement.
Tete’s killing will renew attention on violent crime in South Africa, which continues to have one of the world’s highest murder rates despite recent declines in homicides.
The killing was condemned by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabunyane. (Reuters)
The murder of the world champion has also struck a chord in Mdantsane, the Eastern Cape township that has produced some of South Africa’s most successful boxers.
SABC, the South African public broadcaster, reported that Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane expressed shock and sadness at Tete’s killing.
A spokesperson for the premier said: “It is heartbreaking that a life that brought so much pride to our province has been ended through such a brutal act of violence,” according to SABC.
“We call on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to establish what happened and bring those responsible to book. Anyone with information must assist the police.
“On behalf of Premier Mabuyane and the EC provincial government, we extend our deepest condolences to the Tete family, his friends, the boxing fraternity and the community of Mdantsane.”
A woman travelling with Zolani Tete was also shot during the attack. (Reuters)
A 27-year-old woman travelling with Tete was shot multiple times and taken to hospital. Police have started investigations and the motive remains unclear.
Tete won the IBF junior bantamweight world title in 2014 after defeating Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita in Kobe. He later won the WBO bantamweight crown.
He tested positive for the steroid stanozolol after a fight against British boxer Jason Cunningham in 2022 and was given a four-year suspension from competing, which expired in July this year.
He is best remembered internationally for his 11-second knockout of fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in Belfast in November 2017, the fastest stoppage in a world title fight.
Reuters
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