South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa, has been found dead at a hotel in Paris.
The ambassador was found dead at the hotel on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Mthethwa had been reported missing by his wife after she received a text message from him that worried her, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.
Reuters quoted a prosecutor as saying that the ambassador was found dead next to the Hyatt Hotel.
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French media said the hotel was in Porte Maillot in the west of the French capital.
A spokesperson at South Africa’s foreign affairs department said they were “aware of unfortunate reports pertaining to Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa” and would issue a statement once there was official information.
The ambassador was South Africa’s minister of arts and culture from 2014 to 2019, adding sports to his portfolio from 2019 to 2023.
Mthethwa, 58, was originally posted to the French embassy in February 2024 and was also South Africa’s permanent delegate to UNESCO.
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