Ramaphosa to deliver Eulogy at Nathi Mthethwa’s funeral on Sunday
Former Minister of Police and South African Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, is set to be buried on Sunday
Image: IOL
Former Minister of Police and South African Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, is set to be buried on Sunday in his home village of KwaMbonambi, KwaZulu-Natal.
The 58-year-old diplomat was found dead in Paris on 30 September 2025, after reportedly falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency. Hotel. French authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The former Minister has been given a Special Official Funeral Category 2, with ceremonial elements performed by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to deliver the eulogy at the funeral service, which will commence at 09:00 at Dondotha Stadium. The ceremony will be conducted with full state honours.
IOL previously reported that the family performed a traditional ritual at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris, where he died last week, to fetch his spirit before bringing his remains home.
Mthethwa’s son, Mkhululi, confirmed that the ceremony was held in the hotel room on the 22nd floor, from which the ambassador is believed to have fallen to his death.
“It’s extremely traumatic. We were granted access to the room to witness his last views. We held a small prayer as a family, trying to absorb the reality of what happened,” he said.
“It’s not easy to see where his last breath was. We wanted to settle any unanswered questions within us.
The body of the former minister arrived in South Africa on Friday and was taken to his family home in KwaMbonambi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, where it lay overnight ahead of Sunday’s funeral.
IOL Politics
mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za