One of South Africa’s “big four” banks has become embroiled in the nasty break-up of two of its employees — one a senior official — whose tumultuous and violent romantic relationship has ended up in court.
In court papers, Nedbank is accused by former group marketing manager Erwin Meth of victimising him in a bid to protect his estranged lover, Luntu Ngcwabe, a sector lead in the bank’s corporate and investment banking division.
Meth alleges the bank made him sign a mutual separation agreement “under duress” while he was in hospital after a mental breakdown caused by him allegedly having been victimised by his superiors and abused in his relationship.
“I am considering my legal options with regard to the timeline of events that led to my mutual separation [from] Nedbank, especially with the knowledge that Mr Ngcwabe was unlawfully informed that I was the whistle-blower in his misconduct hearings,” he said this week in response to Sunday Times questions.
The couple’s falling out is the subject of civil litigation in the Johannesburg high court, where Ngcwabe is seeking an interdict barring Meth from harassing, intimidating and defaming him in public after their five-year on-off relationship ended.
In his application, brought on an ex parte basis, Ngcwabe said that, besides stalking, harassing and defaming him on social media, Meth was also behind two anonymous reports against him at the bank.
“After receipt of my response to the complaints and the conclusion of the investigation, Nedbank concluded I had done nothing wrong, dismissing the complaints. I was later advised that [Meth] admitted that he was the one who had lodged the complaints,” he said.
“The details contained in the complaint were extensive. It reflected times, dates and places I had been, which is demonstrative of the lengths [Meth] was willing to [go to] to be aware of my movements and whereabouts,” he added.
In his responding papers, Meth said the bank had “clearly violated its own policy on whistle-blowers”.
“The fact [that] the applicant is a senior official at Nedbank who can make such dangerous allegations and influence the conclusions of an internal misconduct hearing against him raises serious concerns [about] the nature of his power and [indicates] that he can simply get away with anything. [This] could also explain why I was victimised at Nedbank, to the extent that I was eventually forced to resign.”
When it was approached for comment, Nedbank said it was legally obliged to maintain the privacy of its employees.
We are unwavering in our commitment to integrity and exemplary workplace conduct, and we expect our stakeholders to share these principles.
— Nedbank
“We are unwavering in our commitment to integrity and exemplary workplace conduct, and we expect our stakeholders to share these principles. Any concerns raised are reviewed in line with our policies and procedures, ensuring fairness, confidentiality and appropriate action, where necessary.”
Affidavits filed by the couple reveal they had a toxic relationship marked by allegations of infidelity, stalking, abuse and violent altercations in public places. Both parties have sought protection orders against each other.
In his application, Ngcwabe details a series of incidents in the relationship where Meth was violent and abusive towards him. He alleged Meth tracked his movements using electronic communications devices hidden in his car, including a fitness watch and a cellphone concealed in the bonnet.
Ngcwabe, 47, said the two met while working for Nedbank in 2017 and soon began a romantic relationship. He left his wife in 2021, and they lived together until 2023.
“The issues between [Meth] and [me] commenced around May 2019. The first of the incidents took place in the parking lot of Cramerview Village Shopping Centre in Bryanston.
“The argument resulted in [Meth] punching me several times, throwing me over a wall, kicking me, and damaging a door on my vehicle, as well as one of the exterior mirrors. The altercation was so severe that it required police intervention,” he said.
Most recently, he said, Meth would take to Instagram, where he has over 26,000 followers, and publish vindictive, defamatory posts about him. He “posted a picture of numerous rubbish bags lying next to a bin with the supporting caption ‘7 years dating that rubbish’,” Ngcwabe said.
Last April, Meth allegedly posted a caption on a blank screen that read: “Some broke men have a fear of being used for money they don’t have. Sounds like a Xhosa man.”
“It is clear the reference was to me, given that I am a Xhosa man,” Ngcwabe said in his affidavit, adding that the post would also erode his clients’ faith in him because it suggested he was going bankrupt.
In his replying affidavit, Meth said he had also suffered abuse in the relationship, but would not provide details of this in his affidavit because he wanted to move on from the affair.
However, in a form filled out pursuant to a 2024 protection order application, Meth said that as early as 2018 Ngcwabe had begun engaging in “inappropriate conversations and flirtatious engagements”, causing him emotional distress. He was also allegedly already showing signs of being possessive and abusive, even demanding that Meth remove photographs of himself and his colleagues from his social media accounts.
“In July 2018, [Ngcwabe’s] ex-wife harassed me and complained about Luntu’s infidelity to Nedbank’s HR, placing my job and career at risk.”
Meth listed 21 incidents during their relationship where he had discovered infidelity on the part of Ngcwabe, including alleged trysts he had in hotels with other men. He also alleged he had been assaulted in the relationship, saying these incidents had contributed to mental anxiety and depression that had led to him being admitted to a mental health facility.
He filed a photograph of a statement he made at Midrand police station that related to an assault in which he alleged he was slapped and stabbed.
Responding to questions from the Sunday Times, he denied the truthfulness of the allegations Ngcwabe had made against him. “In fact, after the breakdown of the relationship, it was Mr Ngcwabe’s family who reached out to express their concern for my wellbeing.”
Ngcwabe’s lawyer, Bradon Wolmarans, said his client did not wish to comment.
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