South African ambassador had faced corruption claims before he was found dead at foot of Paris hotel

By Nimi Princewill, CNN

(CNN) — French prosecutors are piecing together clues over the death of South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa.

Early findings, authorities said, suggest Mthethwa had apparently fallen from a high-rise Paris hotel on Monday, hours after sending a “disturbing message” to his wife that he planned to kill himself.

Who was Mthethwa?

Mthethwa, 58, began serving as South Africa’s envoy to France in December 2023 – his latest role in a series of high-profile portfolios that included stints as police minister, as well as the minister of sports, arts and culture.

As a young man, Mthethwa campaigned against apartheid, a racist policy that kept Blacks and Whites apart, and grew through the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which fought for democratic rule in South Africa.

Mthethwa also served in the nation’s parliament and sat on the board of directors for the 2010 FIFA World Cup local organizing committee.

South Africa’s government described him as “a distinguished servant of the nation, whose career was marked by dedicated service.”

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.

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