Not since the tragic death of KuGompo City woman boxer Leighandre Jegels in 2019 has SA boxing been plunged into such widespread mourning after the gunning down of two-time world champion and her friend, Zolani Tete.
Tete was ambushed by assailants at his NU17 Mdantsane home on returning from the gym on Friday evening.
Shots reverberated through the quiet unit as the gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets, killing Tete instantly and wounding a woman companion.
The Daily Dispatch was among the first to arrive on the scene, with Tete’s bullet-riddled body still slumped in his car. The woman was swathed in bandages and taken by ambulance to hospital.
The scene resembled a horror movie.
Some neighbours cried uncontrollably and the news spread like wildfire across the country, plunging SA boxing into a sombre mood.
The similarities between their deaths were uncanny, both dying in a hail of bullets from people they possibly knew.
Both also died in August at a time when their boxing careers were beginning to take off.
Jegels was killed by her jealous policeman boyfriend, who accused her of cheating on him with Tete because they trained together at the All Winners Boxing Club in Mdantsane.
Jegels’ killer died in a car crash while trying to escape, but her death left a deep scar on SA boxing, with Tete heartbroken, even more so for being accused of something in which he was not involved.
Now, seven years later, he was the one resurrecting his career after completing a four-year ban for doping.
Tete had constantly maintained his innocence, spending a lot of money to prove that he was no cheat, but United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAID) still slapped him with a maximum ban, while similar offenders only got a few months’ suspension.
Despite four years of pain, Tete never lost his dedication and discipline, keeping himself in shape by helping to train boxers at All Winners, proving his strong character.
Having vowed he would never leave boxing, which gave him so much, under a cloud, he was a few months away from getting his career back on track with a scheduled ring return in November while waiting for red tape to be resolved.
Tete overcame adversity in life and one hopes that even in death he will remain a winner as the murder suspects have already been caught.
Rest in peace, Last Born.
Daily Dispatch
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