South Africa is mourning the sudden death of its ambassador to France, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, who was found dead outside a Paris hotel on Tuesday September 30, 2025.
French prosecutors say his death occurred after the window of his 22nd-floor hotel room was forced open.
The 58-year-old diplomat, a long-serving cabinet minister and senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), had been in France since his appointment as ambassador in December 2023.
According to French authorities, Mthethwa’s wife reported his disappearance on Monday evening after receiving a troubling message from him. His body was later discovered at the base of the high-rise hotel.
A source close to the investigation, who requested anonymity, suggested that Mthethwa had been struggling with depression, and that suicide could be a possibility. However, French police have opened a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the news as “untimely and deeply painful,” adding that Mthethwa had “served our nation in diverse capacities during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically.”
The South African government issued a statement confirming that French authorities are investigating, while also extending condolences to Mthethwa’s family.
Mthethwa was a prominent figure in South African politics for nearly two decades. He served as:
Minister of Arts and Culture (2014–2019)
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture (2019–2023)
Minister of Police (2009–2014)
Minister of Safety and Security (2008–2009)
Beyond politics, he sat on the 2010 FIFA World Cup local organising committee and was active in shaping South Africa’s cultural and sporting policies.
During apartheid, he was part of the ANC’s underground military wing, where he was arrested during the 1989 state of emergency. Between 2007 and 2022, he remained a central figure in the ANC leadership, closely associated with former president Jacob Zuma.
His death comes as a shock both in South Africa and abroad, with many leaders and citizens paying tribute to his decades of public service.
