Wanted since Monday, prominent politician Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa is said to have jumped from the 22nd floor of a hotel at Porte Maillot.

He had been actively sought since Monday. The day after his disappearance, Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa, the South African ambassador to France, has just been found dead, Le Parisien has learned from concordant sources. His body was found this Tuesday "right above the Hyatt Hotel" at Porte Maillot (17th arrondissement), the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed. The 58-year-old diplomat is believed to have jumped from the 22nd floor of the 4-star hotel.

An investigation has been opened and entrusted to the Brigade for the Suppression of Crimes Against Persons (BRDP) of the Paris judicial police. A duty magistrate "is going to the scene," the prosecutor's office stated. When contacted, the South African embassy in Paris remained unreachable this Tuesday morning.

A “disturbing message”

The disappearance of Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa was reported by his wife, "who indicated having received a worrying message from him in the evening," the Paris prosecutor's office said. According to initial evidence, his phone last rang around 3 p.m. on Monday near the Bois de Boulogne in Paris (16th arrondissement). Fearing a possible suicide, the police, supported by the dog squad, had searched the woods in western Paris.

Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa was assigned to the French Embassy in February 2024. He was also South Africa's permanent delegate to UNESCO. A prominent politician, he began his career in the anti-apartheid trade union struggle. He rose to prominence by becoming the organizing secretary of the ANC Youth League in 1994, a position he held until 2001. He joined the South African National Assembly in 2002, where he chaired the parliamentary committee on mines and energy between 2004 and 2008.

In September 2008, he became Minister of Safety and Security in the Motlanthe government. He retained this position in the Zuma government – renamed the Ministry of Police – before becoming Minister of Arts and Culture after Jacob Zuma's re-election.