The ANC in KZN has dismissed reports that the family of former police minister Nathi Mthethwa, who died in a Paris hotel on Monday, is unhappy with the manner in which the party handled his death.

The Witness reports that Mthethwa, who served in various ANC structures since joining the party in the early ’80s, died after falling from the 22nd floor of Paris’ Hyatt Hotel.

Media houses reported that some family members felt the ANC had not properly communicated with them since announcing Mthethwa’s death, particularly around the circumstances of his passing.

However, ANC KZN provincial task team convenor Jeff Radebe, who yesterday led a party delegation to Mthethwa’s kwaMbonambi homestead outside Empangeni in northern KZN, said family members commended government and the ANC on how they handled his death.

“The family is satisfied with the role being played by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) and that of the ANC head office,” he said.

Funeral arrangements and fitting send-off

Radebe said Mthethwa’s family is yet to finalise funeral arrangements and assured them the ANC would ensure a ‘fitting send-off’.

“In KZN, he was regarded as a hero, and the ANC will make sure that he gets a proper send-off,” he said.

Despite some family members expressing different views about the ANC’s handling of Mthethwa’s death, an official press statement from Mthethwa’s family and that of his wife Philisiwe Buthelezi supported Radebe’s statement.

“The passing of our beloved Nathi — a devoted husband, father, brother and South African ambassador to Paris — has left a void beyond words.

“Yet your messages of condolence have brought comfort in our grief, reminding us that we are not alone,” the family said.

“We are especially thankful to the government of the Republic of South Africa for its unwavering support, and to the French authorities for their ongoing co-operation and transparency as the investigation unfolds,” the two families said in a joint statement.

The families pledged to work closely with Dirco in repatriating his remains for burial in KZN.

Investigation ongoing

While French authorities continue investigating the cause of Mthethwa’s death, a preliminary probe concluded that it was likely the former minister took his own life.

Mthethwa was implicated in the illegal prosecution of former KZN Hawks head Johan Booysen during the Zondo Commission of Inquiry a few years ago.

Two weeks ago, he was implicated by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry investigating police infiltration by criminal syndicates.

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