By Dylan Bettencourt
- The 26-year-old father and fitness enthusiast was the second police recruit to die during training this month.
- His family wants to know what went wrong as he had passed the same tests before without problems.
Zwelethu Tekete thought he was running toward his dream job. Instead, the 26-year-old was running toward his death.
The father of two collapsed during Johannesburg Metro Police training. He never got up again.
His brother Mthetheleli said the family is crushed. Zwelethu was healthy and fit.
“He was very fit. He went to the gym regularly. Even last year he passed the same tests in Durban without any complications,” Mthetheleli told IOL.
“We want answers about what exactly happened to him.”
Zwelethu leaves behind two little boys, aged seven and one. He had a degree in Public Management. He was also a model who won Mr Africa Continent 2021.
His family says he was warm and ambitious. He wanted to build a better life.
“We were looking forward to him helping the family,” said Mthetheleli.
Now his children have no dad. His family has only heartbreak.
Metro police confirmed Zwelethu is the second recruit to die in training. Days earlier, Marvellous Michael Nyambi, 24, also collapsed and died from heat exhaustion.
Zwelethu’s family will hold a prayer service in Braamfischerville, Soweto. He will be buried in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.
Pictured above: Zwelethu Tekete during his modelling career
Image source: Zwelethu Tekete Facebook
