Zolani Tete’s final round: Boxing champion to be laid to rest this week

The funeral service of Zolani “Last Born” Tete  comes days after the 38-year-old former world champion was fatally shot outside his Eastern Cape home. 

Tete will be laid to rest in East London, Eastern Cape. 

Zolani’s family has confirmed that his funeral service will take place at the City Hall on Saturday, August 29, with a memorial service scheduled for Wednesday, August 26. The services come days after the 38-year-old former world champion was fatally shot outside his home on Friday evening.

The news has sent shockwaves through the boxing community and beyond. Zolani was more than a decorated fighter. He was a son of Mdantsane who carried his hometown with him wherever his career took him, from Belfast and London to Japan and the U.S.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie described Zolani as one of our nation’s finest fighters: “South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced.” He also paid tribute to the boxer’s extraordinary record, including his famous 11-second knockout of Siboniso Gonya in 2017.

“Your legacy will endure, though, without a timer,” McKenzie said.

It’s a poignant line given that Zolani was preparing to write another chapter in his boxing story.

Time Out Insider Info: Zolani used his fight earnings to buy his mother a prosthetic leg.

A comeback that never came 

Zolani had been training for a return to professional boxing after serving a four-year suspension. His ban followed a positive test for the prohibited steroid stanozolol after his 2022 victory over Jason Cunningham in the UK. 

Zolani consistently denied deliberately taking performance-enhancing drugs. His suspension ended in July 2026, and he was working towards securing his boxing licence again.

There was genuine excitement around the comeback. A poster promoting Zolani’s return had circulated weeks before his death, while his team was reportedly preparing for a fight in November. His manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, told The Sowetan that those plans have changed “now that he is gone forever.”

For Mlandeli, the loss is personal. The pair had worked together since 2012 and developed a relationship that went far beyond boxing. 

Questions surrounding his death 

The circumstances surrounding Zolani’s killing have added another layer to the tragedy.

He was reportedly arriving at his Mdantsane home at about 6.30pm on Friday when armed men wearing balaclavas opened fire on his vehicle. A woman travelling with him was wounded and taken to hospital, while children in the vehicle were unharmed. 

Police launched a murder investigation, with several suspects subsequently arrested.

Memorial service details:

• Wednesday, 26 August, noon - 4pm
• Venue: East London City Hall

Funeral Service details:

• Saturday, 29 August, time TBA
• Venue: East London City Hall

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