Former world boxing champion Zolani "Last Born" Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa. The 38-year-old athlete was killed on Friday in the Eastern Cape province, marking another high-profile tragedy in a nation struggling with exceptionally high rates of violent crime.
Tete was arriving at his residence in the Mdantsane township when two masked men wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and opened fire. The former champion was pronounced dead at the scene. A 27-year-old woman who was accompanying Tete was also shot multiple times and subsequently rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Local police have launched an investigation into the shooting, though they noted that the motive behind the attack remains unclear. Authorities are appealing to members of the public for any information that could assist their inquiries.
The boxer's death has cast a spotlight back onto South Africa's severe violent crime epidemic. While the country has seen a recent dip in homicides, it continues to rank among the world's murder capitals. Government statistics reveal that an average of 58 people per day were murdered in South Africa during the first four months of 2026. In comparison, the United Kingdom recorded an average of 1.5 murders per day in 2025.
News of Tete's death triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes from the global boxing community. Over his professional career, Tete competed in 34 matches and secured two world titles. He won the IBF junior-bantamweight title in 2014 and later claimed the bantamweight championship in 2017. He also secured a spot in the Guinness World Records for delivering the fastest knockout in a title fight.
Before his sudden death, Tete was actively training for a comeback. According to McKenzie, the boxer believed "he still had something to give his country."
In a statement, the World Boxing Council paid tribute to Tete, extending their "deepest condolences" to his family and honoring his "remarkable career."
