MDANTSANE - The death of former two-time boxing world champion Zolani Tete has been described as a huge loss, not only to the boxing fraternity but to the Eastern Cape at large.
Former boxer-turned-pastor Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula says the whole continent is devastated.
"People across the world are mourning Zolani's passing. Words cannot describe how we feel.
"No one came and said this was the will of God. No one can say Zolani ran his race and completed it, and no one can say his time came," Makepula said.
READ: Two arrested in murder of former boxing champion Zolani Tete
"It was not yet Zolani's time. His life was taken prematurely, and brutally so. Zolani died before his time."
July marked the end of Tete’s four-year ban following a doping scandal, which he denied. Makepula says Tete was ready to return to doing what he loved most.
"He kept himself fit and ready the whole time during the ban so that when the time came, he would be ready to get back in the ring.
"He was not selfish with his time and talent. He was training other boxers. It was only a matter of time before he became a world champion again. He was going to fight one or two fights and move on to a title fight because he was destined for greatness."
Boxing promoter Ayanda Matiti says what makes Tete’s death even more difficult to come to terms with is the way he was killed.
"It was a brutal assassination. No assassination can ever be accepted. Zolani was like a sheep; he did not deserve this.
"His body was full of bullets. Logic tells us that if it was a robbery, then they would have taken something. They did that to an unarmed man."
Matiti thanked authorities for acting swiftly but said this would be a difficult loss to overcome.
"We are all very sad. We are all mourning, not just his family or the boxing fraternity, but the whole province. In fact, the whole country," he said.
READ: Zolani Tete remembered as more than a champ in the boxing ring
Tete was killed on Friday night while waiting for his gate to open. He was with a 27-year-old woman who was wounded and taken to hospital.
On Saturday, two people were taken in for questioning. One suspect, aged 30, was later released, but police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said he remains a potential suspect.
The remaining 22-year-old suspect is appearing in the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
Two additional suspects, both aged 27, were arrested in Scenery Park on Sunday. They are expected to appear in court on Tuesday.