In May, he hosted the first French-South African Investment Forum, where, speaking before an audience of business leaders in Paris, he emphasized the need to "strengthen the friendship" between the two nations, which need each other "more than ever" in a world unsettled by the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January.
Praised for his diligence in organizing the event, which delighted both Paris and Pretoria, South Africa's ambassador to France, Emmanuel Nkosinathi Mthethwa, known as Nathi Mthethwa, was found dead at the foot of a Paris hotel on Tuesday, September 30.
The 58-year-old diplomat apparently jumped from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile hotel, located near Porte Maillot in the 16th arrondissement of the French capital, where he had booked a room about 10 days earlier. The day before his death, his wife "received a message from him, shortly after 9:30 pm, in which he apologized and expressed his intention to end his life," said Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau in a statement on Tuesday, after the opening of an investigation.
"While the initial investigation suggests this may have been a deliberate act, without the involvement of any third party, the purpose of the inquiry is to gather all elements that may help to clarify the circumstances," Beccuau added.
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