Four people have now been arrested in connection with the murder of former two-time world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete, as the investigation into the shocking killing of the Mdantsane sporting icon gathers momentum.
The latest breakthrough comes just days after Tete, 38, was gunned down outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, in an attack that also left a 27-year-old woman who was travelling with him seriously wounded.
According to the latest police update, four suspects, aged 22, 27, 27 and 28, were arrested during a series of operations in KuGompo City, Mdantsane and Scenery Park over the weekend. The 22-year-old suspect has been formally charged with murder and attempted murder and is expected to appear in the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court. The attempted-murder charge relates to the woman who survived the shooting and remains in hospital.
A 30-year-old man who was initially apprehended has since been released and is being treated as a potential witness.
Police have indicated that the investigation is continuing and that more arrests could follow.
The killing that shocked Mdantsane
Tete was returning home from the gym on Friday evening, August 21, when the attack happened.
Police said two armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and opened fire as Tete waited for his residential gate to open. In an attempt to escape the hail of bullets, he drove into his yard, but succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The woman travelling with him was shot multiple times and rushed to hospital.
The motive for the killing has not been made public, and authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward.
The speed of the investigation has now produced four arrests, although the precise roles allegedly played by each suspect have not yet been publicly established.
Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Community Safety Xolile Nqatha welcomed the arrests, saying they should help move the case towards prosecution and give the Tete family some measure of justice and closure.
‘We do not know why someone would be so heartless’
For Tete’s family, however, the arrests cannot undo the devastation caused by his death.
His brother, Siyabulela Tete, spoke about the family’s anguish in the hours after the shooting and called for justice.
“We pray that justice is served for our brother because we do not know why someone would be so heartless and kill an innocent person like that,” Siyabulela said.
He described his younger brother as the anchor of the family, saying the boxer was disciplined and always concerned about the happiness of those around him.
“He was a disciplined person. As the last-born in the family, he always made sure everyone around him was happy and in good spirits. We will sorely miss him,” he said.
The comments have painted a picture of a man whose public identity as a fearsome fighter was very different from the person his family knew at home.
His father’s disbelief
Tete’s father, Zolile Tete, has also spoken publicly about the loss, saying he remains in shock.
Zolile said his son was known for boxing and music and had not done anything that, in the family’s view, would have put his life in danger.
The family has struggled to understand how a man whose life had largely revolved around his family, gym, church and community could become the victim of such a violent attack.
That disbelief has added another layer to the tragedy: Tete was not simply a former champion returning to boxing. To his family and community, he remained a son, brother, father and provider.
The comeback they were celebrating
Perhaps the cruelest part of the timing is that Tete had only recently been given a new opportunity to restart his boxing career.
His four-year anti-doping suspension had expired on July 29, 2026, after he tested positive for stanozolol following his 2022 bout. Tete had maintained that he had not knowingly taken the prohibited substance.
The suspension became one of the most difficult periods of his career, keeping him away from the sport that had made him a household name. Boxing South Africa had nevertheless indicated earlier this year that it intended to license him once the suspension ended.
His family had been looking forward to that comeback.
“We were still celebrating the news of Zolani’s return to boxing after the heartbreak of his suspension from the sport. Now, we are devastated and shocked by the news of his death. As a family, we are deeply hurt and saddened by his sudden passing,” Siyabulela said.
Tete had reportedly been working towards a return to the ring later this year, with his manager Mlandeli Tengimfene saying there had been plans for a November fight.
“Zolani is gone… 21 days after his unbanning…we had plans of him fighting on the 29th of November,” Tengimfene said.
That comeback will now never happen.
From Mdantsane to world champion
Tete’s story was one of the great sporting journeys to emerge from Mdantsane.
Born on March 8, 1988, he grew up in the township and started boxing as a child. He would eventually become one of South Africa’s most accomplished fighters, winning world titles in two weight divisions.
He captured the IBF junior-bantamweight world title in 2014 before winning the WBO bantamweight crown in 2017.
But his name became etched into boxing history in November 2017 when he stopped fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds in Belfast.
It remains the fastest knockout in a world-title fight and became one of the defining moments of Tete’s career.
For a fighter nicknamed “Last Born”, the achievement took him from Mdantsane to some of boxing’s biggest international stages.
A career filled with triumphs and battles
Tete’s career was not without setbacks.
He suffered defeats, dealt with the pressures that come with elite professional boxing and, most significantly in recent years, endured the four-year doping suspension that effectively put his career on hold.
Yet those close to him continued to believe there was more left to give.
His return was therefore more than simply another fight. It represented a second chance.
Boxing South Africa CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka had said the organisation would take a positive approach to his return, saying: “As soon as his suspension [four years for failing a dope test in the UK in 2022] is over, we will license him.”
Tete never got the opportunity to find out what the next chapter of his career might have looked like.
‘He believed he still had something to give’
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie was among those who paid tribute to the champion following his death.
“South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced,” McKenzie said.
He told the family that their loss would not be treated lightly and urged people in Mdantsane with information about the killing to speak to investigators.
McKenzie also reflected on the extraordinary speed of Tete’s famous knockout, telling the boxer in his tribute: “You carried this flag into rooms it had no business being in, and you did it once in just eleven seconds. Your legacy will endure, though, without a timer.”
The minister said Tete believed he still had something to contribute to the country.
“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,” McKenzie said.
A family waiting for justice
For the Tete family, the focus now shifts from the comeback that never happened to ensuring that those responsible for his death are held accountable.
The four arrests represent the biggest development yet in the case, but investigators still have to establish exactly what happened, who planned the attack, the alleged roles of the suspects and what motivated the killing.
The family’s anguish was perhaps best captured by Siyabulela’s plea for justice.
“We do not know why someone would be so heartless,” he said.
As the legal process begins, the questions surrounding Tete’s final moments remain.
What is clear is that a man who had fought his way from Mdantsane to the top of world boxing, survived professional setbacks and was preparing for one more comeback, died violently just weeks after his suspension ended.
At 38, Zolani “Last Born” Tete was supposed to be preparing for another fight.
Instead, his family, friends and the boxing community are preparing to lay a champion to rest.
