Former world boxing champion Zolani "Last Born" Tete was shot dead outside his ​home in South Africa's Eastern Cape province ‌on Friday, police and the country's sports minister said.

The 38-year-old was arriving at his residence in Mdantsane township when ​two armed men wearing balaclavas got out ​of a vehicle and opened fire.

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"I will not ⁠speculate about who did this or why," ​Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement.

Tete's killing ​will renew attention on violent crime in South Africa, which continues to have one of the world's highest murder rates ​despite recent declines in homicides. The murder ​of the world champion has also struck a chord in Mdantsane, ‌the ⁠Eastern Cape township that has produced some of South Africa's most successful boxers.

A 27-year-old woman travelling with Tete was shot multiple times and taken ​to hospital. Police ​have started ⁠investigations and the motive remains unclear.

Tete won the IBF junior-bantamweight world title ​in 2014 after defeating Japan's Teiru Kinoshita ​in ⁠Kobe. He later won the WBO bantamweight crown.

He is best remembered internationally for his 11-second knockout of ⁠fellow ​South African Siboniso Gonya in ​Belfast in November 2017, the fastest stoppage in a world title ​fight.