New details have emerged surrounding the tragic death of South Africa’s Ambassador to France, Nkosinathi “Nathi” Emmanuel Nathi Mthethwa, who died at an upmarket Paris hotel this week.
The senior South African diplomat, formerly a long-serving cabinet minister, reserved the room at the Hyatt Regency hotel almost two weeks prior to his disappearance, according to statements from both French police and the family.
The 58-year-old ambassador originally booked the room on the 15th of September for a stay commencing on Saturday, September 27th, and extending into Sunday, September 28th, 2025. He did not arrive on the initial dates but later made arrangements to postpone his hotel stay to Monday.
Postponed Check-In and Final Hours
French police conveyed their initial findings to representatives of the ambassador’s family, who are currently in France, including his widow, Philisiwe Buthelezi.
Family spokesperson, Sifiso Buthelezi, a former South African finance deputy minister, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that police confirmed the booking arrangement.
“He ended up postponing it to the 29th (Monday) and that is the day on which he disappeared. On the 29th indeed he came, he checked in, and that is why they were checking the cameras. That is the information they gave us,” said Sifiso Buthelezi.
His wife saw him for the final time on Monday afternoon when he was scheduled to attend a cocktail event. Later that evening, she received a distressing message.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the message in a statement: “in which he apologised to her and expressed his intention to end his life.”
Investigation and Conclusions
AFP previously reported that Ambassador Mthethwa had reserved a room on the 22nd floor, and its secured window had been forced open with a pair of scissors found at the scene.
Prosecutor Beccuau provided the preliminary conclusion of the French authorities: “Initial investigations suggest that this could have been a deliberate act, without the intervention of a third party,” she said, while emphasising the investigation would seek to collect all the details.
Ambassador Mthethwa had served as South Africa’s envoy to France since December 2023.
President Cyril Ramaphosa described the diplomat’s death as “untimely” and “a moment of deep grief in which the government and citizens stand beside the Mthethwa family.”
“Ambassador Mthethwa has served our nation in diverse capacities during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically,” the president said.
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