French prosecutors are piecing together clues about the death of South Africa’s French ambassador, Nukosinati Emmanuel “Nati” Museteva.
Authorities suggest that the early discoveries appear to have fallen from a hotel in high-rise Paris on Monday hours after Mthethwa sent his wife a “disturbing message” that he had planned to kill himself.
Mthethwa, 58, began serving as a special South African envoy in France in December 2023. This is the latest role in a series of well-known portfolios including Stint as Police Minister, Sport, and Minister of Arts and Culture.
As a young man, Musetva campaigned against apartheid. Apartheid grew through the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which separated blacks and whites and fought for democratic control of South Africa.
Mthethwa also served in the US Congress and participated in the board of directors of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee.
The South African government described him as “a prominent servant of the country, and his career was marked by his dedicated service.”
But Musetou’s illustrious career in public services was also hampered by the corruption scandal he denied in his lifetime.
Mthethwa, an ally of former South African president Jacob Zuma, faced charges on corruption charges, has been caught up in the probe by several committees. This includes one investigation in 2019, hearing testimony from former crime intelligence agency officials, claiming that the gorgeous vehicle was bought for Mthethwa during his time as police minister. Mthethwa denied these claims.
Mthethwa also faced an ongoing investigation that heard allegations by the state police commissioner accusing South Africa’s past chief of attempting to obstruct the prosecution of the criminal intelligence reporting agency that was being investigated for corruption.
Mthethwa was expected to respond to the allegations before his sudden death.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mutetewa’s life was “a premature and traumatic ending” in a statement praising his service to the people.
Opposition lawmaker Karl Niehaus believes “Nati Musetoi’s death was not a natural death,” and according to comments released by the National Broadcasting Station, it “occasionally happened under suspicious circumstances.”
In a statement Tuesday, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Mthethwa had booked a room on the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Hotel about 10 days ago and checked in at 4:30pm on Monday at 4:30pm.
His body was found in the courtyard below by security guards at 11:30am local time Tuesday, the statement said.
“Staff noticed that in hotel rooms the window safety mechanism was being forced with scissors remaining on the scene,” the statement continued, adding that “investigators did not discover any signs of struggle or drug or narcotics.”
“The initial investigation suggests that this could be a deliberate act without third-party intervention, but the purpose of this investigation is to gather evidence that will help us understand the facts,” he further stated.
