Bail denied for two accused in Zolani Tete murder case

Two men accused in the killing of former boxing champion Zolani Tete were denied bail after a magistrate ruled that medical grounds did not amount to exceptional circumstances, according to The Citizen.

Who appeared in court

According to The Citizen, 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 Citizen reports the pair are among four men facing eight charges linked to Tete’s murder. The other two men, accused of carrying out the shooting, have already abandoned their bail applications.

Medical claim and the court’s response

Magistrate Anton Pretorius considered Goqwana’s medical condition during the bail application process. Goqwana argued that his paraplegic condition and need for complex daily medical assistance constituted “exceptional circumstances”, The Citizen says.

Magistrate Pretorius rejected that argument and emphasised the court’s test for bail.

“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,”

The Citizen reports Pretorius also said that courts must weigh all evidence carefully and that ordinary factors, even when combined, do not automatically become exceptional.

On medical grounds, the magistrate ruled that inadequate treatment in custody is not enough to justify release on bail. As Pretorius put it in court,

“A complaint concerning inadequate medical treatment in custody does not necessarily make release on bail the appropriate remedy.”

The Citizen reports Pretorius noted that while one facility might not meet the applicant’s needs, St Albans Correctional Centre has a hospital section. The magistrate said:

“The applicant has not placed evidence before this court establishing that St Albans cannot adequately address his medical needs.”

Pretorius concluded that the applicant had not proven truly exceptional circumstances and that bail could not be justified, The Citizen reports.

Details of the killing and related allegations

The Citizen reports Tete was killed on 21 August after allegedly being attacked by two armed men outside his Mdantsane home. A 27-year-old woman, described as Tete’s girlfriend, was seriously wounded during the shooting, while the former champion’s three young children were not injured, The Citizen says.

The Citizen names Kolisa and Gangala as the two men who stand accused of carrying out the shooting. According to The Citizen, the state alleges that Qase acted as an intermediary, linking the suspected hitmen to the alleged plot to kill Tete.

The Citizen reports that investigating officer Nkululeko Mtati’s affidavit links Goqwana to the alleged murder. The affidavit alleges Goqwana believed Tete was behind a July 2025 shooting that left him paralysed and dependent on a wheelchair, and that Goqwana believed Tete had targeted him in retaliation for his alleged relationship with Tete’s estranged wife, Thulisa.