World (Parliament Politics Magazine) – South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nkosinathi “Nathi” Mthethwa, was found dead outside a Paris hotel, French prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.
Following a “worrying message from him,” Mthethwa, 58, was reported missing by his wife on Monday night, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
It further stated that the security window of the high-rise hotel, where he had reserved a room on the 22nd story, was forced open.
The Paris prosecutor’s office stated that a duty magistrate was “going to the scene” and that an investigation had been initiated because the circumstances surrounding his death were yet unknown.
A prominent figure in the African National Congress, which installed Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first black president and ushered in democratic governance in 1994, was Mthethwa.
In a statement, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola hailed Mthethwa as a “distinguished servant of the nation”.
“I have no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community,”
he added.
Lamola confirmed that the circumstances around Mthethwa’s death were being investigated by the French authorities.
What did French authorities say about the cause of death?
French officials have said that the death of the South African ambassador, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, is under investigation. He was found at the bottom of the Hyatt Regency in Paris after apparently falling from the 22nd floor on which he had been staying, and investigators observed that the window did not properly close and had been forcibly opened. French media outlets, including Le Parisien, apparently have indicated that he is expected to have died by suicide, although no official source has confirmed this. The Paris prosecutor’s office is not publicly speculating on the cause of death and is continuing an investigation.
A source connected to the investigation told the press that the ambassador had apparently suffered from depression and, therefore, suicide may be a cause of death, although the official investigation is still in progress and no formal cause has been declared.