Former boxing world champion Zolani Tete shot dead in South Africa
Former two-time boxing world champion Zolani Tete has been shot dead in an ambush outside his home in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Police confirm fatal ambush
The 38-year-old was accompanied by a 27-year-old woman when two masked suspects opened fire as they waited outside the gates of his residence.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed the incident occurred at approximately 18:30 local time.
“In an attempt to escape the hail of bullets, the deceased drove his vehicle into the yard,” Gantana stated.
Authorities confirmed the South African fighter succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Search for suspects continues
Gantana reported that the female passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the incident and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
She remains under medical care while an active police investigation gets underway.
“At this stage, no arrests have been made. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be apprehended,” Gantana added.
A decorated but controversial career
During a successful professional career, the fighter claimed both the WBF flyweight and WBO bantamweight world titles.
His last appearance in the ring came in July 2022, when he defeated British boxer Jason Cunningham at Wembley Arena.
However, the southpaw had been absent from the sport recently after testing positive for the banned steroid stanozolol following that bout.
He was widely expected to make a return to competitive boxing in the near future before this fatal incident occurred.