South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, was found dead outside a Paris hotel after reportedly expressing intentions to take his own life, according to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau on Tuesday.
Mthethwa’s lifeless body was discovered on Tuesday in the hotel’s internal courtyard.
The ambassador, a known associate of former South African President Jacob Zuma, had booked a room at the hotel around ten days earlier and checked in at 16:30 after leaving his Paris home, the prosecutor added.
On Monday evening, Mthethwa’s wife received a message from him shortly after 21:30. In the message, he apologised and indicated plans to end his life, the Prosecutor stated in a statement.
This aligns with a source close to the case who described the 58-year-old ambassador as suffering from depression and suggested that he might have taken his own life.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Mthethwa in a statement, honouring the ambassador for his service to the nation "in a life tragically and traumatically cut short."
The Paris prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the cause of death, led by the 1st judicial district of the Paris police prefecture.
While initial findings suggest a deliberate act with no third-party involvement, the investigation aims to gather all relevant information, Beccuau clarified.
Anyone having suicidal thoughts can contact the Suicide Prevention Centre hotline at 0800/32/123. The service is anonymous, free and available 24/7. More information can be found here.
The English mental health support (CHS) Helpline can be reached at 0264/84/014. The French-speaking Un pass dans l'impasse helpline can be reached at 0817/77/150. In Flanders, the helpline 1813 can be reached 24/7.
