French authorities have completed their investigation into the death of South Africa’s late ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, and concluded that he died by suicide.
But the finding has sparked fresh questions in South Africa, where officials have said they have not yet received the final outcome of the French investigation.
The latest developments have renewed scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding Mthethwa’s death, almost a year after the former police minister and ambassador died after falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris on 30 September 2025.
French Ambassador to South Africa David Martinon has reportedly said the French investigation was completed and that the death was ruled a suicide. However, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told Parliament recently that no final outcome had been communicated to South African authorities.
How Mthethwa died
Mthethwa, 58, was serving as South Africa’s ambassador to France when he was found dead after falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris.
At the time, French authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Early reports said Mthethwa had booked a room on the 22nd floor and that a secured window had been forced open. Reports also said a pair of scissors was found at the scene.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed Mthethwa’s death on 30 September 2025, saying the circumstances were being investigated by French authorities.
Questions over South Africa’s role in the investigation
Cachalia has told Parliament that the South African Police Service did not deploy investigators to France to participate in the investigation.
Instead, he said two SAPS members were authorised to travel to France on a fact-finding mission and to facilitate cooperation with French authorities.
“The South African Police Service did not deploy any investigators to the French Republic in relation to this matter,” Cachalia said in his parliamentary response.
He added that the engagement between South African and French authorities resulted in an agreement that a Mutual Legal Assistance process should be pursued through the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
The apparent gap between France’s reported conclusion and South Africa’s claim that it has not received a final report has now become a central issue.
‘We don’t know what happened’
Security strategist and former Interpol ambassador Andy Mashaile has questioned why South African law enforcement authorities were not directly involved in the investigation.
“If you say you have not received the final outcome, a simple analysis says we don’t know what happened. You haven’t told us what actually transpired,” Mashaile said.
He warned that the absence of South African investigators could undermine confidence in the eventual findings.
“What if the death is not a suicide? How will we then be able to argue it, given the fact that we were not part and parcel of the investigation?” he asked.
Mashaile also questioned whether South African authorities had been prevented from participating more directly in the probe, asking whether officials had lost the opportunity to send investigators or had been told not to intervene.
Allegations and speculation followed his death
Mthethwa’s death immediately generated intense speculation and allegations on social media, with claims ranging from foul play to political motives.
However, there has been no publicly established evidence supporting claims that Mthethwa was murdered. Africa Check later dismissed viral claims that an alleged “killer” had been arrested in Paris, finding no evidence to support the reports.
The death also came as Mthethwa’s name had featured in allegations before the Madlanga Commission concerning alleged political interference in policing and the criminal justice system. Reports indicated that he was expected to have an opportunity to respond to allegations made during the commission’s proceedings.
While some speculation linked his death to the allegations and the commission, no official investigation has publicly established any connection between the Madlanga Commission allegations and his death.
A final report still awaited
The conflicting positions have left South Africa facing a critical question: if French authorities have completed their investigation and ruled Mthethwa’s death a suicide, when will the South African government receive the final report and what details will be shared with the public?
Nearly a year after Mthethwa’s death, the French conclusion may have brought the investigation in Paris to an end, but the unanswered questions in South Africa remain far from settled.
For now, South African authorities are still demanding clarity on the final findings, while critics continue to question why the country’s own investigators did not play a more direct role in probing the death of one of its most senior diplomats abroad.
