---
title: "NPA resumes case against Smuts Ngonyama’s wife for allegedly beating domestic worker in Tokyo"
description: "After three years, the NPA resumes prosecution against Nokwazi Ngonyama for allegedly beating her domestic worker in the official South African residence in Tokyo."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "‘BROOMSTICK ASSAULT’"
author: "Peter Fabricius"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/peterfabricius/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-15-npa-resumes-case-against-smuts-nongonyamas-wife-for-allegedly-beating-domestic-worker-in-tokyo/"
published: "2026-07-15T21:03:07"
updated: "2026-07-15T23:51:10"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 406
---

# NPA resumes case against Smuts Ngonyama’s wife for allegedly beating domestic worker in Tokyo

> After three years, the NPA resumes prosecution against Nokwazi Ngonyama for allegedly beating her domestic worker in the official South African residence in Tokyo.

By Peter Fabricius · Published 15 July 2026, 23:03 SAST · Updated 16 July 2026, 01:51 SAST

## Key points
- The NPA has resumed prosecution against Nokwazi Ngonyama, wife of the former South African ambassador to Japan, for allegedly assaulting her domestic worker in Tokyo.
- Domestic worker Tandiswa Tokwe claims she was beaten multiple times, leading her to flee to South Africa and file charges in October 2023.
- The case faced delays and jurisdiction issues, with the Mdantsane Magistrates’ Court initially dismissing the case over a lack of jurisdiction.
- Tokwe’s lawyer expresses hope for justice, stating this case reflects the principle of equality before the law.

## Content

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has decided to resume its prosecution of Nokwazi Ngonyama, three years after she allegedly assaulted her domestic worker in the official South African ambassadorial residence in Tokyo.

The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Andy Mothibi, announced on Wednesday that he had instructed the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Samkelo Mtwana, to proceed in the Mdantsane Magistrates’ Court with the case of assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

Nokwazi Ngonyama’s husband, Smuts Ngonyama, was SA’s ambassador to Japan when the couple’s South African domestic worker, Tandiswa Tokwe, alleged that Nokwazi Ngonyama had beaten her several times with a broomstick on 14 July 2023.

![peterfab-Ngonyama-prosecution](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/IVh2M-j5PBRJ_KxmSLFMQxKe3T8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/0000084990.jpg)

*South Africa's former ambassador to Japan, Smuts Ngonyama. (Photo: Loanna Hoffmann / Gallo Images)*

Tokwe fled the residence and Japan in fear, returning to SA where she laid charges against Nokwazi Ngonyama in October 2023. But the NPA struggled to get the case off the ground. At a press conference in East London on 29 October 2025, Tokwe said the NPA had told her it had tried several times in 2024 to serve a court summons on Ngonyama, which she had refused to accept.

[Read more

Wife of South Africa's ambassador to Japan Smuts Ngonyama allegedly assaulted domestic worker with a broomstick

September 15, 2023 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/slS6aVqHYP741EsuY-1DHiA7_qA=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Smuts-Ngonyama.jpeg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-09-15-wife-of-sas-ambassador-to-japan-smuts-ngonyama-allegedly-assaulted-domestic-worker-with-a-broomstick/)

At one point, the NPA considered asking for a warrant of arrest to be issued against Ngonyama. Tokwe said Ngonyama then avoided appearing in court several times by pleading illness. She eventually appeared in court on 31 January 2025.

Ngonyama’s lawyers then argued that the Mdantsane Magistrates’ Court had no jurisdiction over the case because the alleged assault had happened in Tokyo.

![peterfab-Ngonyama-prosecution](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/f2i1WQtXWGqMAu0z7ZyvqIvpfNg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/smuts-ngonyama-ambassador-Japan-wife-domestic-assault-_230850.jpg)

*Smuts Ngonyama and his wife, Nokwazi. (Photo: Flickr)*

In August 2025, after an apparent communication failure between the NDPP and the Eastern Cape DPP over this question of jurisdiction, the Mdantsane magistrate threw out the case.

After protests from Tokwe’s lawyers, the [NPA reinstated the case](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-29-assault-case-reinstated-against-smuts-ngonyamas-wife-for-allegedly-beating-domestic-worker/) in October 2025. But it made no progress and seemed to have lapsed until Mothibi announced this week that he had instructed the DPP to prosecute Ngonyama.

On Wednesday, Tokwe’s lawyer, Pumelele Hole, said: “It has been a long and debilitating wait for justice. Hopefully, Miss Tokwe and her children will receive justice after the incident, which changed their lives for the worse. If there was a time to prove that we are equal before the law, it is now.” **DM**