Four people have been taken into custody in South Africa over the killing of former world boxing champion Zolani Tete, police confirmed.
Tete, 38, was shot outside his house in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape on Friday. Officials say it was an ambush. He was sitting in his car waiting for the gate to open when two masked gunmen pulled up in another vehicle and opened fire.
A 27-year-old woman who was with him was also hit and remains in hospital. The reason for the attack has not been established.
A 22-year-old man arrested on Saturday is due in court on Monday facing murder and attempted murder charges.
Three other suspects were arrested on Sunday and will appear on Tuesday. Two of them have so far been charged only with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. It is not yet clear if murder charges will be added.
Tributes have poured in since the news broke. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie called Tete “one of the finest fighters” South Africa has ever produced. Former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula described him as “a great South African who made an immense contribution to boxing.”
Tete held two world titles during his career. He won the IBF super-flyweight belt in 2014 and the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019.
He was known internationally for his speed, including a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight, when he stopped Siboniso Gonya in 11 seconds in 2017. He also beat Britain’s Paul Butler in Liverpool in 2015, one of eight fights he had in the UK.
His last bout was in July 2022, a win over Jason Cunningham in London that was later changed to a no-contest. Tete tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and received a four-year ban from UK Anti-Doping. That ban expired in July this year, and his manager Mla Tengimfene said he had been in training for a comeback.
Tete finished with a record of 29 wins, 4 losses and 1 no-contest in 34 fights.
The killing adds to concern over violent crime in South Africa, which records one of the highest murder rates globally.
Latest police statistics for January to March this year put the average at about 58 people killed per day.
