SA Police send single officer to France for Mthethwa death probe

National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed that the team of investigators that was supposed to travel to France to assist in probing the death of South Africa’s ambassador to France Nathi Mthethwa has been reduced from five to only officer.

Mthethwa died after falling from a 22nd-floor hotel room in Paris last week.

Speaking on the sidelines of the SAPS Safer Festive Season operations launch in Bloemfontein,  Masemola said a single senior officer would now be deployed to liaise with French counterparts.

“With regard to sending a delegation to France, we are working on a police-to-police cooperation. We do have a senior officer that is working in that country,” he said.

Masemola confirmed the investigator would depart the country.

“He will be leaving today. They will update the mission in terms of the activities and whereabouts once he is there,” he said.

Masemola added that the initial delegation had been reduced from five to one.

“But we reduced our delegation. We have one senior officer that will be meeting our counterparts in France,” he said.

The top cop clarified that the officer’s role is not to conduct a formal investigation, but rather to receive a report directly from French authorities.

He emphasised that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) was already involved and that SAPS’s presence in France would be limited.

“We are just going there to receive a first-hand report. And, of course, ask questions and be taken through certain things. From there, we’ll be coming back to the problem. That was appropriate in my view.”

Masemola said the South African public deserved assurance that when a citizen dies overseas - particularly one representing the president - it is treated with urgency and transparency.

“A former minister of police - I think it was appropriate to take these steps to give the public and the family the assurance that we have been proactive. As far as I understand, it is fairly routine for police services in different jurisdictions to cooperate in such circumstances. And that’s all that has happened here,” he said.

At the time, acting Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia said the team would help establish the facts behind the incident. 

Cachalia’s spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, said the team would supposed be led by Major General Maqhashalala, Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection in the Western Cape.

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