South African late ambassador's family awaits repatriation of his remains from France

JOHANNESBURG - A week after the death of South Africa's Ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa in Paris, his family said they have been informed that his remains are expected to be given to the family on Tuesday.

Speaking in KwaMbonambi, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Mthethwa's brother-in-law, Khulekani Buthelezi, told the media on Monday that the family had received his death certificate, while an autopsy was yet to be concluded.

"With all the challenges that we are experiencing and the delays, his body has to come back to South Africa. When? Nobody knows exactly, but from the discussions we have been having with the authorities in France, it is been promised that tomorrow (Tuesday)," Buthelezi said outside his home.

He said an autopsy has to be completed before they hand over the body to the family, and other family members had already traveled to France to provide support to Mthethwa's wife, Philisiwe Buthelezi.

Plans to repatriate Mthethwa's remains come after the South African government announced last Friday that a team of experienced police officers had been sent to France to work closely with the French police in probing the circumstances surrounding the ambassador's death.

According to French media, the ambassador had allegedly jumped to his death from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Hotel in Paris. It is alleged that he sent a message to his wife, who reported him missing to the police before his body was discovered.