October 1, 2025 5:58 PM.
South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, has been found dead in Paris a day after being reported missing. The 58-year-old diplomat was discovered in the interior courtyard of the Hyatt Regency Hotel yesterday morning by a security guard.
Authorities confirmed he had checked into the hotel on Monday, having booked a room on the 22nd floor. Mthethwa was a prominent member of the African National Congress and previously served as minister of police and minister of arts and culture. He was appointed ambassador to France in December 2023.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Mthethwa had booked a room on the 22nd floor of the hotel, where a secured window had been forced open. An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of his death.
French media, including Le Parisien, reported that Mthethwa was believed to have killed himself, though the prosecutor’s office said it could not pre-empt the outcome of the inquiry. Police reportedly searched the nearby Bois de Boulogne park with canine units after Mthethwa’s phone was last detected there.
South Africa mourns.
South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations confirmed the death, calling it a “national loss.”
In a statement, the ministry said, “Ambassador Mthethwa was a distinguished servant of the nation, whose career was marked by dedicated service in critical ministerial portfolios.”
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola added, “I have no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community.”
The government extended its condolences to his wife, children, family, and colleagues “during this period of immense grief.”
Who is Nathi Mthethwa?
Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa had a long and influential career in both politics and diplomacy before he was appointed South Africa’s ambassador to France in December 2023. In February 2024, he also took on the role of South Africa’s permanent representative to UNESCO.
Before becoming a diplomat, Mthethwa held several key ministerial posts, including Safety and Security, Police, Arts and Culture, and later Sport, Arts and Culture between 2008 and 2023. He also played a pivotal role in South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup as a board member of the local organising committee.
Role in the ANC
A senior figure within the African National Congress (ANC), Mthethwa was a member of the party’s National Executive Committee (2007–2022) and also served on the influential National Working Committee (NWC), which helps oversee the party’s daily affairs.
He was regarded as a close ally of former President Jacob Zuma and was named in the state capture inquiry, which investigated corruption allegations during Zuma’s presidency.
Legacy of service
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation described his passing as the loss of a leader whose “lifelong commitment to public duty was further exemplified by his longstanding contribution to the ANC through its highest decision-making structures.” Mthethwa is survived by his wife and children.
*
However, Mthethwa’s illustrious career in public service was also marred by corruption scandals, which he denied in his lifetime.
An ally of former South African President Jacob Zuma, who faced prosecution on corruption charges, Mthethwa was entangled in probes by several commissions. This included one investigation in 2019 that heard testimony from an ex-crime intelligence official, who alleged that a luxury vehicle was acquired for Mthethwa during his time as police minister – with funds removed from the secret service account, state broadcaster SABC reported at the time. Mthethwa denied those claims.
Mthethwa also faced an ongoing probe that heard allegations by a provincial police commissioner who accused him of attempting to obstruct the prosecution of a former head of South Africa’s Crime Intelligence Services who was being investigated for corruption.
Mthethwa was expected to respond to the allegations before his sudden death.
‘Evidently suspicious circumstances’
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mthethwa’s life “ended prematurely and traumatically” in a statement that praised his service to the nation.
Opposition lawmaker Carl Niehaus believes “the death of Nathi Mthethwa was not a natural death,” and that it “happened under what are evidently suspicious circumstances,” according to comments published by the national broadcaster.
In a statement Tuesday, Paris’ public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Mthethwa had booked a room on the 22nd floor of the Hyatt hotel about 10 days before and had checked in at 4:30 p.m. on Monday “after leaving his Paris home.”
His body was discovered in the courtyard below by a security guard at 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the statement noted.
“The staff noticed that in their hotel room… the window’s safety mechanism had been forced open with scissors left at the scene,” the statement continued, adding that, “investigators found no signs of a struggle or traces of medication or narcotics.”
“While initial investigations suggest that this may have been a deliberate act, without third-party intervention, the purpose of this investigation is to gather any evidence useful to understanding the facts,” it further stated.