South Africa's ambassador to Japan, Smuts Ngonyama, has been trying to reach a settlement with his former domestic worker Tandiswa Tokwe after his wife, Nokwazi Ngonyama, allegedly assaulted her.

A South African domestic worker in the official diplomatic residence of Pretoria's ambassador to Japan quit her job and flew home recently after allegedly being assaulted by the wife of Ambassador Smuts Ngonyama.

Since Tandiswa Tokwe (53) left the Tokyo residence and the country, Ngonyama has been urging her not to press charges against his wife, Nokwazi, and to sign a non-disclosure agreement, both of which Tokwe has refused to do. She has insisted on an unconditional payout from him for the rest of her contract period, according to documentation seen by Daily Maverick and interviews with Tokwe and others.

That is where the impasse currently lies.

Nokwazi Ngonyama allegedly attacked Tokwe on 14 July. After the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) heard of the incident, Ngonyama and his wife apologised to her and she stayed on briefly in her job.

But she said she grew increasingly terrified of Nokwazi Ngonyama and on 27 July she quit the job and left Japan. She is now back home in East London, an unemployed single mother struggling to make ends meet while waiting for a payout from Ngonyama for the rest of her contract period.

Ngonyama is a political appointee...