An ambassador plummeted 22 floors to his death from a landmark luxury Paris hotel room on Tuesday after he was implicated in a major corruption inquiry in his native South Africa, authorities in France said.
The body of South African Ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, 58, was discovered at the foot of the four-star Hyatt Hotel to the west of the capital, hours after he was reported missing by his panicked wife on Monday afternoon, French outlet Le Parisien reported.
Mthethwa’s wife “received a worrying message” from her husband on Monday evening and alerted authorities, sparking a frantic search of the woods in western Paris, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
5 Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa was found dead at the base of the hotel. AFP via Getty Images
5 South Africa’s ambassador to France was found dead on Tuesday at the foot of the Hyatt Regency hotel, a high-rise tower in the west of Paris, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. REUTERS
The secure window in the hotel room — where high-floor rooms with an Eiffel Tower view go for $900 a night — had been “forced open,” according to prosecutors.
Mthethwa, an experienced politician in South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, was appointed to the French embassy in February 2024 after previous government positions as Minister of Arts and Culture and Minister of Police.
He was recently implicated in the Madlanga Commission, a national South African enquiry into widespread corruption and collusion between politicians and the police, including alleged ties to organized crime.
On Monday, a leading former cop told the inquiry that a drug cartel had infiltrated every aspect of police and politics in South Africa.
5 Members of the Judiciary Police arrive at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile Hotel at Porte Maillot in Paris, after South Africa’s ambassador to France was found dead on Sept. 30. AFP via Getty Images
The so-called “Big Five” cartel is alleged involved in crimes including contract killings, drug trafficking, hijackings and fraud, Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo told the inquiry, as reported by South African outlet Daily Maverick.
Ambassador Mthethwa is one of three police ministers who has been accused of political interference during his time in office, South Africa’s the Citizen newspaper reported.
All three ministers are from the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa, where political killings are common.
He was also reported to be on a list of witnesses set to be questioned about alleged corruption and misconduct in the police.
5 French media, including Le Parisien, said Mthethwa was believed to have killed himself, without citing a source. AFP via Getty Images
Mthethwa was accused of attempting to influence officials to drop charges against a former head of South Africa’s police crime intelligence agency, according to testimony heard during the commission hearings.
A shocked ANC veteran official said that he did not believe that Mthethwa would have taken his own life, the Citizen reported.
The exact circumstances behind his death are still under investigation.
Mthethwa was last seen in public last Saturday during a ceremony at a military cemetery in northern France where he lay a wreath for a South African soldier killed in World War One.
The ANC is yet to put out an official statement on the ambassador’s death, but government ministers have paid tribute to the former minister.
“I have no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community,” international relations minister Ronald Lamola said in a statement.
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[SRC] https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/world-news/south-africas-ambassador-to-france-found-dead-at-foot-of-paris-hotel-tower/
