An explosive bail hearing at the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court has laid bare a volatile web of alleged extramarital romance, gun violence, and retaliatory bloodshed, shedding new light on the tragic death of two-time world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete.
At the center of the unfolding legal drama is 22-year-old Uzuzole Goqwana, the alleged mastermind accused of orchestrating the premeditated contract killing of the beloved sports icon, who was fatally shot outside his Mdantsane home on 21 August 2026.
In a stark twist that has captivated the public, Goqwana’s defense team read a sworn affidavit detailing a bitter personal feud that predated the assassination. According to Goqwana, the friction began in 2025 when he entered into a romantic relationship with Tete’s estranged wife, Thulisa Potwana.
The affidavit alleges that upon discovering the affair, the former boxing champion launched a campaign of intimidation, which included stalking Goqwana’s vehicle and issuing explicit death threats. The hostilities reportedly culminated in a terrifying public encounter just days before a major tragedy, during which Goqwana claims Tete cornered him in broad daylight and pointed a firearm directly at his face.
The defense argues that this escalating friction directly precipitated a horrific ambush in July 2025. While Goqwana and Potwana were seated inside a vehicle outside a local tavern in Mdantsane, gunmen opened fire on them. The attack left Potwana injured and Goqwana permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
Confined to a wheelchair, Goqwana’s legal team has framed the subsequent animosity as a direct consequence of Tete’s allegedly reckless and threatening behavior, strongly implying that the late boxer was the driving force behind the shooting that altered Goqwana’s life forever.
However, the State paints a far more sinister picture, vehemently rejecting any narrative of a justified or spontaneous personal dispute. The prosecution contends that Goqwana acted out of cold, calculated revenge, functioning as the financial engine behind a professional hit.
State detectives allege that Goqwanapooled financial resources to pay a middleman R100,000, money that was subsequently used to hire contract killers to execute the boxing star outside his residence.
Goqwana now faces a barrage of seven severe charges, including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple counts of attempted murder.
While the defense maintains that Goqwana intends to plead not guilty and argues that his severe physical disability makes him an unlikely candidate for evasion, the National Prosecuting Authority is vigorously opposing bail.
The state maintains that Goqwana poses a significant flight risk and argues that granting him freedom could jeopardize the safety of key witnesses, several of whom have reportedly received targeted death threats since Tete’s murder.
As the court weighs these harrowing allegations, the case continues to expose a tragic intersection of sporting legacy, broken relationships, and street justice.