JUST IN: Boxer Zolani Tete murder accused denied bail
· Citizen
Former boxing champion Zolani Tete’s alleged killers have been denied bail.
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Alleged mastermind Uzuzole Goqwana and Sinebhongo Qase returned to the dock at the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Friday, where the court handed down the decision.
The pair are among four men facing eight charges linked to Tete’s murder. The two men accused of carrying out the shooting have already abandoned their bail applications.
Magistrate Anton Pretorius addressed alleged Goqwana’s paraplegic medical condition in relation to his bail application.
Judgement
Goqwana argued that his severe health limitations and need for complex daily medical assistance constitute “exceptional circumstances”.
However, Judge Pretorius made it clear that bail cannot be granted on ordinary grounds.
“The mere fact that a circumstance is favourable to an accused does not make it exceptional. The circumstance must be unusual, or must exist to an exceptional degree,” he said.
Evidence
He emphasised that courts must weigh all evidence carefully.
“Exceptional circumstances are something unusual, extraordinary, remarkable, peculiar, or different. Ordinary factors, even when combined, do not automatically become exceptional.”
On medical grounds, Pretorius ruled that inadequate treatment in custody is not enough.
“A complaint concerning inadequate medical treatment in custody does not necessarily make release on bail the appropriate remedy.”
Hospital
While one facility could not meet the applicant’s medical needs, Pretorius noted that St. Albans prison has a hospital section.
“The applicant has not placed evidence before this court establishing that St. Albans cannot adequately address his medical needs,” he said, adding there was no medical proof that the applicant’s condition would deteriorate if transferred or kept in custody.
Pretorius concluded that the applicant failed to prove truly exceptional circumstances, and bail could not be justified.
Murder
Tete was killed on 21 August after allegedly being attacked by two armed men outside his Mdantsane home.
A 27-year-old woman, Tete’s alleged girlfriend, was seriously wounded during the shooting, while the former champion’s three young children were not injured.
Kolisa and Gangala stand accused of carrying out the shooting.
Hitmen
According to the state, Qase allegedly served as an intermediary, connecting the suspected hitmen to the alleged plot to kill Tete.
Investigating officer Nkululeko Mtati’s affidavit also linked the alleged murder to Goqwana, who is accused of mistakenly believing that Tete was behind a shooting in July 2025 that left him paralysed and dependent on a wheelchair.
He reportedly believed that Tete had targeted him in retaliation for his alleged relationship with the former champion’s estranged wife, Thulisa.