Nathi Mthethwa, a former cabinet minister and South Africa’s ambassador to France, has been found dead in Paris, according to reports.

Initial reports indicated that authorities believed he had leapt to his death from the 22nd floor of a Parisian hotel.

His wife had reported him missing earlier after receiving what was described as a “worrying” message from him.

Earlier this month Mthethwa was implicated in the current controversy regarding political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the Police Commissioner in the province, alleged earlier this month that in 2011 Mthethwa had pressured the then-minister of intelligence, Faith Radebe, to withdraw a case against Richard Mdluli. Mdluli is the former head of Crime Intelligence in the South African Police Service and had been dogged by various allegations over the years. He was finally put behind bars in 2020.

It is unclear if Mthethwa’s death is linked to these allegations.

Mthethwa was born in 1967 in Durban. He joined the struggle against apartheid in the 1980s, and was detained in 1989. He was active in the trade union movement in KwaZulu-Natal before becoming an MP for the African National Congress in 2002. Before being appointed as South Africa’s ambassador to France in 2023 he served in a number of cabinet posts, including Police; Safety and Security; and Sports, Arts, and Culture.