Former World Champion Boxer Zolani Tete Dies at 38 After Being Shot Outside His Home
Former World Champion Boxer Zolani Tete Dies at 38 After Being Shot Outside His Home
Desiree AnelloSat, August 22, 2026 at 4:23 PM UTC
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Zolani Tete in action during IBF International and Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Title fightCredit: James Chance/Getty -
Zolani Tete, a former world champion boxer, has died at the age of 38
On Friday, Aug. 21, the athlete was ambushed and shot by two armed men while waiting for the gate to his house to open
A 27-year-old woman, who was sitting in the car with Tete, was also shot multiple times and remains in the hospital
Zolani Tete, a former world champion boxer, has died after being shot multiple times outside his South African home. He was 38.
The athlete was waiting for the gate of his home to open when he was fatally shot in Mdantsane on Friday, Aug. 21, said Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s sports, arts and culture minister, in a news release.
“South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced,” McKenzie said. “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.”
A 27-year-old woman was sitting in the car with Tete when he was attacked by two armed men who jumped out of a vehicle wearing balaclavas, per the news release. She was shot multiple times and remains in the hospital.
Zolani Tete celebrates beating Jose Santos Gonzalez during IBF International Bantamweight ChampionshipCredit: Dave Thompson/Getty
“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, addressing Tete’s family in the news release. “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.”
McKenzie went on to encourage the community to come forward with any information surrounding the incident, emphasizing that the suspects are “still out there.”
Tete rose to international fame when he won the IBF junior bantamweight title in 2014. He later held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and broke the world record for the fastest knockout in a title fight in 2017, ending his match with Siboniso Gonya in 11 seconds.
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“The World Boxing Organization mourns the tragic passing of former WBO Bantamweight World Champion Zolani ‘Last Born’ Tete,” the organization wrote on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, loved ones and the entire South African boxing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
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At the time of his death, Tete was reportedly training for a return to the ring. The boxer last fought in July 2022 before he tested positive for anabolic steroid stanozolol and was given a four-year ban by the UK Anti-Doping Agency, per the BBC.
“He believed he still had something to give this country,” McKenzie wrote of the athlete in the news release. “He was right, but he will not get the chance now. He, and all of us, have been robbed.”
“You carried this flag into rooms it had no business being in, and you did it once in just eleven seconds,” he concluded. “Your legacy will endure, though without a timer.”
John Riel Casimero, a Filipino professional boxer who took the WBO bantamweight from Tete in November 2018, expressed how “shocked and heartbroken” he was to hear of the athlete’s death.
“We shared the canvas and pushed each other to be our absolute best inside the squared ring,” he wrote on X. “A true warrior and champion. Rest in peace, champ. Prayers with your family and loved ones.”
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
