South Africans are right to ask deeper questions around Mthethwa’s death - Enver Samuels, documentary filmmaker

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit chats to director and producer Enver Samuels.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, was found dead on Tuesday in a hotel outside Paris, a day after being reported missing. 

French media report that Mthethwa had checked into the Hyatt Hotel west of the city, and his body was discovered the next morning. 

His wife had received a disturbing message the day before, raising fears that he may have taken his own life.

The ambassador’s sudden death under unclear circumstances has drawn international attention.

French authorities are investigating the incident, while observers note the peculiar timing, where Mthethwa had participated in official Heritage Day events just days earlier.

The incident has also reignited conversations in South Africa about the country’s history of political figures dying under mysterious circumstances.

Samuels, currently in France, noted a troubling parallel between Mthethwa’s death and the 1988 assassination of ANC activist Dulcie September, also in Paris.

Samuels, who directed the documentary 'Murder in Paris', emphasises that while Mthethwa’s death may involve personal mental health struggles, South Africans are right to ask deeper questions given the nation's political legacy.

"Just an unusual coincidence that in France we now have a former chief representative for the African National Congress, Dulcie September, being assassinated in 1988 and in 2025 we have an official ambassador dying in mysterious circumstances."

- Enver Samuels, documentary filmmaker

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.