France rules Nathi Mthethwa’s death a suicide as South African officials seek the final report

French investigators have completed their probe into the death of the late former South African ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, and ruled it a suicide, but South African officials say they have not received the final report and are demanding clarity.

What happened and when

Mthethwa, 58, was found dead on the morning of Tuesday, 30 September 2025 after falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris.

French finding and South African response

French authorities have completed their investigation and concluded the death was a suicide. South African officials, however, say they have not yet received the final investigative report and are seeking further information.

Questions from security experts

Security strategist and former Interpol ambassador Andy Mashaile has publicly pressed for clarity on the handling of the inquiry and questioned why South African law enforcement was not invited to participate.

“If you say you have not received the final outcome, please – a simple analysis says we don’t know what happened. You haven’t told us what actually transpired,” Mashaile told eNCA.

Mashaile compared international practice, noting that foreign agencies such as the FBI sometimes work with local police, and warned that excluding South African authorities could undermine confidence in the findings.

“What if the death is not a suicide? How will we then be able to argue it, given the fact that we were not part and parcel of the investigation?”

Concerns about participation and timing

Mashaile also asked whether South African police were prevented from deploying investigators and posed questions about whether investigators lost time or were told not to attend the scene.

“Did we lose out on the time to send police to investigate, or were we stopped? Were our officers told, ‘Don’t come and do your fish and chips investigation, don’t play here’?”

Details noted during earlier inquiry

French authorities had previously said they were not ruling out any possibilities, including foul play. It was also previously reported that a secured window in Mthethwa’s room on the 22nd floor had been forced open and that a pair of scissors was found at the scene.

Next steps

South African officials’ stated lack of receipt of a final report indicates they are seeking further documentation or explanation from French authorities about the conclusion that the death was a suicide.