By Sipho Hlatshwayo
The Mdantsane Magistrates’ Court is expected to deliver judgment on Monday, 14 September 2026, on bail applications by Uzozole Goqwana and Sinebongo Qase, the two men charged in connection with the murder of former world boxing champion Zolani Tete. The ruling comes almost four weeks after Tete was gunned down outside his home on 21 August, a crime that has drawn sharp community anger and an online campaign for Goqwana’s release on medical grounds.
Tete was shot dead while sitting in his parked vehicle in Mdantsane. A woman companion was wounded and three children in the car were physically unharmed but traumatised. Goqwana, who is wheelchair-bound after suffering paralysis before the killing, was arrested at King Phalo Airport the day after the murder, allegedly trying to leave the province. Qase was taken into custody at Hemingways Mall over the same weekend along with two alleged hitmen, Siphesihle Kolisa and Athandwa Gangala, who have since abandoned their bail bids.
Goqwana is described by the State as the mastermind who believed Tete was responsible for a 2025 shooting that left him paralysed. Qase is alleged to be the middleman who recruited the shooters. The prosecution told the bail hearing last week that the motive was revenge, but the defence argues that no direct evidence links Qase to the payment or the hit, and that Goqwana’s medical needs are not being met in custody.
“Whilst it may be argued that the offence is a serious offence, it remains a fact that at this stage it is merely an allegation that is still to be tested in a trial court,” Ayabonga Kampi, legal representative for Goqwana, said during the proceedings.
The State opposed bail for both accused. Prosecutor Tango Phangalele argued that Goqwana’s paralysis pre-dated his arrest and did not constitute exceptional circumstances for release.
“Goqwana’s paralysis existed before the alleged crime and therefore cannot be considered an exceptional circumstance arising from his detention,” Phangalele said.
For Qase, lawyer Asanda Phakade contended the State had not established a sufficient link between her client and the murder.
“The State had failed to establish a sufficient link between Qase and the murder … no proof that he received money to facilitate the alleged killing,” Phakade said.
Warrant Officer Nkululeko Mtati, the investigating officer, told the court that community hostility remained high and that releasing the accused would endanger them.
“Community members are furious and do not even want to see them outside, both of them,” Mtati said.
He added that the chance of Qase fleeing was substantial given the potential sentence of life imprisonment.
The case has cast a long shadow over Mdantsane. Tete was a two-time world champion in the bantamweight and junior-bantamweight divisions, widely celebrated in the Eastern Cape and the country. The prosecution alleges that Goqwana, paralysed in a 2025 shooting, acted on a mistaken belief that Tete was behind the attack. Court documents and reporting from the bail hearing reveal that the State plans to introduce confession statements, though the defence has disputed their admissibility. A fifth suspect, believed to be the getaway driver, is still being sought by police, according to court papers. None of the allegations have been tested at trial.
The magistrate reserved judgment on 10 September after hearing closing arguments. Today’s ruling will determine whether Goqwana and Qase remain in custody until trial, not their guilt. If bail is granted, stringent conditions are expected. The court will weigh the seriousness of the schedule 6 offence against the defence’s arguments about medical care and weak evidence. What remains unclear is how the court will treat the unresolved safety concerns for the accused in a community still grieving a local hero. Cape Flats News will provide an update after the decision is handed down.