Mthethwa 'served our country well' - National Assembly Speaker

KLEINMOND - National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said the late Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa had left an indelible legacy in Parliament over the more than 20 years he served as an MP. 

Mthethwa was reported dead at a Paris hotel on Tuesday, just days after being named at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry as among political masters who allegedly interfered in police operations. 

As a student activist during the apartheid years, Didiza said he played a pivotal role in drawing government’s focus to youth development when he entered Parliament.

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Mthethwa was only 35 when he first entered Parliament in 2002. 

He chaired the minerals and energy portfolio committee before becoming the African National Congress (ANC)’s chief whip for nine months in 2008. 

Speaker Thoko Didiza recalled a pivotal negotiating role he played as the party’s whip to pass legislation on communal land. 

"Working as a parliamentarian, he’s really served our country well."

She said that Mthethwa was also among political actors who helped to design the architecture for South Africa’s institutional framework. 

"He was among those people who steered, shepherded and ensured that we are able to have the many important institutions in our country."

Mthethwa first rose to the executive in 2008, where he held the portfolios of safety and security, police, and sport, arts and culture under three presidents.

He resigned as an MP in 2023 after losing his Cabinet position and was called to diplomatic service six months later.