PARIS: South Africa’s ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa was found dead outside a high-rise hotel in Paris on Tuesday, the city’s prosecutor’s office said, prompting an official investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The 58-year-old envoy was found dead at the foot of the Hyatt Regency hotel in western Paris, prosecutors said in a statement. He had booked a room on the 22nd floor, where investigators found that a secured window had been forced open.
Mthethwa’s wife reported him missing on Monday evening after receiving what officials described as a “disturbing message” from him. French authorities confirmed that the duty magistrate visited the scene and that an investigation was underway.
French media, including Le Parisien, reported that the ambassador may have taken his own life, but prosecutors have not confirmed the cause of death. A source close to the case, cited by AFP, said that Mthethwa had suffered from depression.
South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed his death in a statement from Pretoria, calling it an “untimely passing.”
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said: “I have no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community.”
Mthethwa, a veteran politician and senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), served in several cabinet roles before taking up his diplomatic posting. He was South Africa’s minister of police from 2009 to 2014, minister of arts and culture from 2014 to 2019, and minister of sports, arts and culture between 2019 and 2023.
He was appointed ambassador to France in December 2023 and took up the post in early 2024, also serving as South Africa’s permanent delegate to UNESCO.
Born in 1967, Mthethwa joined the ANC’s movement as a teenager during apartheid and was briefly detained under the state of emergency in 1989. After 1994, he rose through the party ranks, serving on its national executive committee and contributing to major government portfolios.
He is survived by his wife and children. French authorities said investigations into the circumstances of his death are continuing.
