For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Nathi Mthethwa found dead in Paris according to reports; Eskom records first full-year profit in eight years; And, Trump administration says it supports 1-year renewal of Agoa

Nathi Mthethwa found dead in Paris according to reports

South Africa's ambassador to France Nathi Mthethwa has been found dead at the foot of the Hyatt Regency hotel, a high-rise tower in Porte Maillot in the west of Paris, newspapers Le Parisien and Le Figaro reported today.

Mthethwa had been reported missing by his wife after she received a text message from him that worried her, Le Parisien reported.

A spokesperson for Paris Police declined to comment. Calls to the South African Embassy went unanswered. A receptionist at the Hyatt said the hotel would not comment.

Mthethwa was South Africa's minister of arts and culture from 2014 to 2019, adding sports to his portfolio from 2019 to 2023.

A spokesperson at South Africa's foreign affairs department said they were "aware of unfortunate reports pertaining to Mthethwa" and would issue a statement once there was official information.

Eskom records first full-year profit in eight years

State-owned power utility Eskom today reported its first full-year profit in eight years thanks to government debt relief, higher tariffs and a sharp reduction in power cuts.

Eskom made profit after tax of R16-billion in the year to the end of March 2025, compared to a R55-billion loss a year earlier, its annual report showed.

Government debt relief support, new tariff structures, higher sales linked to the operational turnaround and cost optimisation initiatives have contributed to Eskom recording its first profit in eight years, the report said.

Eskom's power cuts have held back South Africa's economic growth for more than a decade, and its repeated bailouts have drained state coffers.

But the frequency of its power outages has reduced dramatically since early last year. There were just 13 days of power cuts in its latest financial year, compared to a record 329 days a year earlier.

And, Trump administration says it supports 1-year renewal of Agoa

US President Donald Trump's administration supports a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa that expires today, according to a White House official.

Since coming to office in January, the administration had not publicly stated a position on the act, known as Agoa, a law first passed in 2000 to provide duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products.

Despite broad bipartisan support for renewing Agoa, which supporters say helps diversify US supply chains and counter Chinese influence in Africa, the law's prospects for extension before it lapses are deeply uncertain.

Its only realistic legislative path is to be attached to the stopgap funding bill Republicans are pushing to keep the US government open past today, although it could also be reinstated later.

African governments and investors have been lobbying in recent weeks for a one- or two-year extension after efforts to secure a longer-term renewal did not make it to a vote in Congress.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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