Missing South African diplomat Nicky Scholtz has been found, apparently unharmed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday.
The department said on Sunday morning in a statement that South Africa’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Ade Nkomo informed the department that Scholtz, the country’s Deputy High Commissioner there, had been ”released” earlier in the morning.
The statement made no mention of who might have held the 54-year-old diplomat, who disappeared from a hotel in Kuala Lumpur a week ago.
”Currently Nicky Scholtz is being debriefed by Malaysian police. A detailed statement will be released later this week,” DFA spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said.
Malaysian police had been searching for the diplomat over the weekend.
The country’s Sunday Mail newspaper reported that the police investigation centred on his personal life including a possible love tryst.
It said that Scholtz’s personal life was being subjected to intense police scrutiny.
Scholtz, a bachelor, has previously served as an envoy to Taiwan, Indonesia and Hungary before being posted to Malaysia in April.
Scholtz was staying at the luxury downtown hotel, the Nikko, when he disappeared. Scholtz was representing South Africa at a conference on African development that was being held at the hotel at the time of his disappearance.
Malaysia was a new posting for Scholtz, who arrived on April 20. Officials said he was single. – Sapa-AP