SA’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, has been found dead in Paris, the department of international relations & co-operation said on Tuesday.
Mthethwa is a former cabinet member and former ANC national executive committee (NEC) member, having previously served as minister of police and later minister of arts & culture before his diplomatic posting to France in 2023.
He was a prominent political operator during the presidencies of Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa, playing a main role in party structures and the government over nearly three decades.
Paris-based publication Le Parisien reported on Tuesday that Mthetwa had been found dead outside a Hyatt hotel after his wife reported him missing. The publication said the 58-year-old is believed to have jumped from the 22nd floor of the four-star hotel.
French authorities were working to establish the circumstances in which he died, the department said.
“The circumstances of his untimely death are under investigation by the French authorities,” the department said in a statement.
“The government of SA extends its deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of ambassador Mthethwa and to his friends and colleagues during this period of immense grief. He is survived by his wife and children.
“Ambassador Mthethwa was a distinguished servant of the nation, whose career was marked by dedicated service in critical ministerial portfolios, including minister of police and that of sports, arts & culture.”
He served on the board of directors of the 2010 Fifa World Cup local organising committee.
“His lifelong commitment to public duty was further exemplified by his longstanding contribution to the ANC through its highest decision-making structures,” the department said.
International relations & co-operation minister Ronald Lamola said Mthethwa’s death “is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community”.
The ANC said Mthethwa “sought to bring transformation, cohesion, and dignity to our people” in every role.
“His commitment to the nation was visible [at] all material times.
“As a member of the ANC NEC and national working committee between 2007 and 2022, he played a role in guiding the direction of our movement.
“His presence will be sorely missed in our ranks, but his legacy endures: in the policies he advanced, the institution he helped build, and the values he upheld,” the party said.
Mthethwa was recently implicated at the Madlanga commission in alleged political interference.
During the commission hearings, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told the panel that Mthethwa had attempted to influence the inspector-general of intelligence, Faith Radebe, to drop the charges against Richard Mdluli, a former head of police crime intelligence.
Update: September 30 2025
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