According to experts, the timing of former Police minister and Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa's passing is under scrutiny due to recent, severe accusations levelled against him at the Madlanga Commission.
Image: Simone Kley / File
While there is no credible evidence at this stage that late Ambassador Emmanuel Nathi Mthethwa’s death involved foul play or was linked to the work of the Madlanga Commission, the timing of his death and the allegations against him have raised questions.
This is according to Professor Theo Neethling, an international relations expert and political analyst, who said Mthethwa was involved in accusations made before the commission regarding political meddling at the highest levels of the police.
This comes as the public continues to question the exact sequence of events surrounding his final hours in Paris, France.
Mthethwa was found dead on September 30, 2025, after allegedly falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile hotel.
Investigators found that a secured window in his room had been forced open with scissors. Initial investigators reported no signs of a struggle or traces of medication or illegal drugs.
His wife, Philisiwe Buthelezi, reported him missing the night before.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s initial statement, this followed a message in which he apologised and expressed an intention to end his life.
Mthethwa died just days after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused him of political meddling in high-level police cases.
Mkhwanazi testified that Mthethwa tried to influence former Inspector General of Intelligence Faith Radebe to drop criminal charges against former Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli in 2011.
He labelled the interference as the worst he had ever experienced.
The French authorities closed their investigation into Mthethwa’s death after concluding that he died by suicide.
French Ambassador David Martinon said the findings were communicated to Mthethwa's widow and that there would be no further investigation.
However, Mthethwa's family reportedly rejected the suicide conclusions, calling the circumstances mysterious and demanding a full, transparent inquiry.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia recently told Parliament that South Africa has not received a final report or official outcome from the French investigation into Mthethwa’s death.
Cachalia also clarified that full investigators were not deployed to France. Instead, two police members travelled on a “fact-finding mission”.
Neethling said that although it would be incorrect to imply that the Madlanga Commission proved Mthethwa’s guilt, his passing means that a significant person who could have offered first-hand information regarding political meddling in the police is no longer available to share his story.
Neethling added that while timing alone does not constitute evidence of foul play, the timing of Mthethwa’s accusations against him may understandably raise questions.
“Therefore, the most suitable approach is not to dismiss the matter or speculate about a conspiracy. The immediate issue is determining precisely what the French investigation found, whether the investigation formally ruled out third-party involvement, whether the South African government appears not to have yet received the formal report, and whether the French investigation found a clear conclusion.
“Because Mthethwa's potential significance to the Madlanga Commission's investigation into political interference in the South African police is crucial, these questions are particularly important,” he said.
Asked what specific elements or documentation are missing from the French report that prevent the government from finalising its own assessment, and why South African investigators were excluded from co-investigating, Cachalia’s spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi said she will bring the enquiry to the Minister’s attention and that the request should also be forwarded to the SAPS.
Asked what the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco) stance is on the French findings and why South African law enforcement was not part of the investigation in Paris, Dirco spokesperson Chispin Phiri said this was an SAPS matter.
Asked what steps the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development was taking to request and review the report compiled by the French investigators, and if the department is probing whether Mthethwa’s death constitutes witness silencing or deep-state interference, spokesperson Palesa Rammitlwa also referred questions to the SAPS.
When asked why a high-profile diplomat was left unmonitored in a hotel, SAPS spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said: “We don’t protect diplomats. They are protected by embassy security.”
When asked if police are investigating whether Mthethwa’s death was linked to testimonies and high-level political exposure related to the Madlanga Commission, Mathe said the SAPS would not be drawn into commenting on the circumstances surrounding his death.
Another international relations expert, Professor Andre Thomashausen, said the South African Embassy in Paris could have neglected the need for a formal diplomatic communication known as “note verbal” to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting an investigation.
“They can easily request the information now and surely France will then oblige,” he said.
Security strategist Andy Mashaile said the French police showed contempt for the SAPS in the investigation, adding that this should be pursued in the form of a complaint.
“They, in my view, rejected the involvement of SAPS so as to avoid any future contradictions in writing a report,” said Mashaile, adding that it was also unwise for the government to believe in the theory of the suicide before a full investigation was launched, conducted and concluded.
