The 38-year-old was arriving home (reports indicate he was returning from the gym) and sitting in his car waiting for the gate to open at around 6:30 p.m. local time when two armed suspects wearing balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and opened fire with multiple shots. Tete attempted to drive into the yard to escape the gunfire but was fatally wounded and declared dead at the scene. A 27-year-old woman travelling with him sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to hospital, where she remained under treatment.
Investigation status
Eastern Cape police (SAPS) opened cases of murder and attempted murder. Spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed that the suspects fled and no arrests had been made as of Saturday 22 August. Police explicitly rejected social media claims of arrests as false and unfounded. The motive remains unknown, and a major investigation is underway. Authorities have appealed for public information.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, described the killing as the loss of “one of the finest fighters it has ever produced” and called for a manhunt, offering support to the family and community of Mdantsane. Provincial and local leaders, including Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, also issued tributes.
Career overview
Born on 8 March 1988 in Mdantsane (a township renowned for producing top South African boxers), Tete turned professional in 2006. He became a two-division world champion:
- IBF junior-bantamweight (super-flyweight) title in 2014 (won by stopping Teiru Kinoshita in Japan).
- WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019.
- Earlier held a WBF flyweight title (2007–2008).
He is especially remembered for the fastest knockout in world-title fight history: an 11-second stoppage of fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in Belfast in November 2017 (recognised by Guinness World Records). He fought multiple times in the UK, including a win over Paul Butler.
Professional record stood at 29 wins (many by knockout), 4 losses and 1 no-contest. His last bout was in July 2022 against Jason Cunningham at Wembley Arena (initially a win, later ruled a no-contest after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol). The UK Anti-Doping Agency imposed a four-year ban that ended on 29 July 2026. Manager Mla (Mlandeli) Tengimfene confirmed Tete had been training hard for a planned comeback, with a possible return date around 29 November 2026.
Broader context
The murder has drawn attention to South Africa’s persistently high levels of violent crime. Despite some recent declines, the country continues to record one of the world’s highest murder rates (government figures cited an average of around 58 murders per day in the first four months of 2026). Mdantsane itself has a strong boxing heritage, making the targeted nature of the attack particularly shocking to the local community and the wider sporting world.
Tributes have come from the boxing community internationally, with organisations such as the WBC expressing condolences. The case remains under active police investigation with no further breakthroughs reported as of the latest updates on 22 August 2026.
