Zolani Tete, a two-time world boxing champion, was shot dead on August 21, 2026, outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa while waiting in his car for the gate to open. Two armed men wearing balaclavas fired multiple shots, killing the 38-year-old boxer and injuring a 27-year-old woman who was traveling with him; she remains hospitalized [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
Four suspects aged between 22 and 28 have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Among them, 22-year-old Uzu Kuwana has been formally charged with murder and attempted murder and opposed bail as of August 24 [3, 6, 8, 9]. Police investigations remain ongoing, but authorities have not revealed a motive [1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9].
Tete was a celebrated South African boxer known for his IBF junior-bantamweight title win in 2014 and his WBO bantamweight title reign from 2017 to 2019 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. He set a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight by defeating Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds in 2017 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Over his professional career, he amassed 29 wins in 34 fights, including 22 knockouts, against four losses [1, 7, 9].
His last bout took place in July 2022 against Jason Cunningham and was initially a win but later changed to a no-contest after Tete tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. As a result, the UK Anti-Doping Agency suspended him for four years; the ban ended on July 29, 2026, and he had been training for a comeback fight at the time of his death [1, 3, 6, 8, 9].
South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said the country "has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced … He was training for a return to the ring. He believed he still had something to give this country. He was right, but he will not get the chance now. He, and all of us, have been robbed" [3]. McKenzie declined to speculate on the motive behind the shooting and expressed condolences to the family [2, 5].
The violent shooting has brought attention once again to South Africa’s high rates of violent crime despite recent declines [2, 4, 5].
Court hearings for the suspects related to Tete’s murder and the attempted murder of the accompanying woman are scheduled for August 25, 2026 [9].
