The French ambassador for South Africa has been found dead at the foot of a high-rise hotel in Paris.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa was “found just below” of the Hyatt Hotel in Paris on Tuesday, adding that the envoy had booked a room on the 22nd floor. The safe windows in the room were “forced,” the office said, adding that the job judge was on the scene.
Mthethwa’s wife reported he was missing on Monday and said she received a “disquiet message” from him, according to the prosecutor’s office.
CNN contacted the hotel’s Hyatt Group and Hyatt Regency, but did not receive any comments.
In a statement on Tuesday, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Mthethwa’s death “with deep sadness and deep regret” and expressed sadness to the ambassador’s family.
“His death is not only a loss to the nation, but it is undoubtedly felt within the international diplomatic community,” South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamora said in a statement on Tuesday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa eulogged Mutetewa in a social media post Tuesday, writing that the diplomat “served our country with diverse capabilities throughout his life, which was premature and traumatic.”
Mthethwa, 58, was appointed as French ambassador in December 2023. He previously served as a member of the South African Parliament and, according to his embassy profile, as Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.
