Tight security for Mthethwa’s funeral

A ring of security has been drawn around the KwaMbonambi ancestral home of the country’s late ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, for his funeral today.

On Saturday, the number of mourners arriving at the KwaMthethwa homestead in KwaZulu-Natal rose steadily. Uniformed and plainclothes police were also present.

Mthethwa is expected to be laid to rest in his family homestead, beside the grave of his late father, his coffin draped in black, green and gold ANC colours.

The road to his final farewell has not been smooth, featuring a trail of intrigue and unanswered questions.

Mthethwa fell to his death two weeks ago from the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris, according to French law-enforcement authorities who ruled it a possible suicide, something many of his family members, comrades and observers on social media dispute. Confusion about whether his second phone was found in a public park or the hotel added to the mystery.

South Africa has dispatched five top detectives to France to collaborate with authorities on the case.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who will deliver a eulogy, said Mthethwa would be honoured by Special Official Funeral Category 2, a gesture underscoring his stature in government and the ANC.

The funeral is expected to draw a host of dignitaries, including government ministers, diplomats, traditional, religious and political leaders.

Mthethwa’s body was received in Johannesburg on Friday by a delegation of government officials. This was followed by a memorial service in Pretoria attended by current and former government ministers, diplomats and senior officials.

Mthethwa’s remains were flown to Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, where another ceremony was held to receive him. The final journey to KwaMbonambi was undertaken in a convoy of vehicles.

Now we are in the final leg, which I am hopeful that we will pull through

Mthethwa was born and spent his formative years in KwaMbonambi. He later moved to Klaarwater township, west of Durban, where his political career took shape. He was a youth leader and undertook underground ANC responsibilities. He was instrumental in introducing ANC structures in KZN and became the ANC’s chief whip in the National Assembly, where he helped catapult former President Jacob Zuma to power.

Mthethwa was later appointed by Zuma as police minister, a position in which, according to KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, he abused his position by ordering a halt to the prosecution of then police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli. Mdluli faced serious charges, including murder, hiring family members and embezzling millions of rand in secret slush funds. The Mthethwa perimeter wall in KwaMbonambi is alleged to have been built with these funds.

Mkhwanazi repeated these allegations at the Madlanga Commission and in parliament’s probe into the police.

One of Mthethwa’s uncles, Musawokuphila Mthethwa, who led the delegation to Paris to collect the body, said yesterday the journey was difficult but necessary for the family.

“It was not easy, but we have to thank everyone who gave us the necessary support. Here I am including government officials who arranged passports and special visas for us and made all the arrangements so that we would meet no difficulties in Paris when we went to collect the body. We also have to thank the leaders of the ANC, who were with us throughout this difficult journey. Now we are in the final leg, which I am hopeful that we will pull through,” he said.

Cultural analyst Professor Musa Xulu said the rites and funeral preparations showed the Mthethwa family was steeped in tradition. “The details of Ambassador Mthethwa death are not yet concluded. Officially, he died after falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Hotel. That means that some blood was spilt.

“Accordingly, members of the Mthethwa family travelled to France, carrying among other things a fig tree branch to fetch his remains in line with traditional rituals of fetching the spirit of the dead for burial with the body en route to the land of ancestors. The family first went to the room from which he fell and spoke to his spirit before going to the inner courtyard, where he died. They then went to the mortuary with the spirit to unite the spirit with the body, according standard Zulu ritual.

“At every station (the hotel room, inner courtyard and mortuary) the elders were talking to the spirit of Nathi Mthethwa as if he was still alive, but lost. The ritual was repeated until his body reached home. The ritual will also be repeated until he’s buried, together with the branch of the tree. He will then be assumed to have reached the land of the dead, who are believed to live underground. A concoction of herbs is used to secretly cleanse his body,” Xulu said.

He expected the funeral procession to involve religious leaders from Shembe Baptist Church, Christians and African spiritual leaders.