Additional Coverage:
South African Ambassador to France Found Dead in Paris Amid Investigation and Prior Allegations
Paris, France – South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, was found dead on Tuesday at the base of the Hyatt Regency hotel, a high-rise in western Paris. The Reuters news agency, citing the Paris prosecutor’s office, first reported the discovery.
The South African government confirmed the diplomat’s passing in a statement, expressing “deep sorrow and profound regret” at the “untimely passing” of Ambassador Mthethwa. French authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Mthethwa was reported missing by his wife on Monday evening, after she received a concerning text message from him and subsequently contacted police. Investigators reportedly found a secured window in Mthethwa’s 22nd-story hotel room had been forced open. French media, including the newspaper Le Parisien, have indicated that investigators believe Mthethwa likely died by suicide.
The ambassador’s death comes as a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption, criminality, and political interference within South Africa’s criminal justice system recently began its work. Mthethwa previously served as South Africa’s Minister of Police between 2009 and 2014.
Just two weeks prior, during testimony at the commission, the provincial police commissioner in South Africa’s Kwa-Zulu Natal province alleged that Mthethwa, while serving as national police minister, had interfered in an investigation. The commissioner claimed Mthethwa asked the Inspector General of Intelligence to drop all charges against a head of criminal intelligence.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a statement conveying the nation’s “deep grief” over Mthethwa’s passing, noting that he had “served our nation in diverse capacities during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically.”