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Top agency Avatar removes Veli Ngubane from Chief Creative Officer after sexual misconduct allegations
One of South Africa’s biggest advertising agencies, Avatar, has confirmed that its co-Chief Creative Officer, Veli Ngubane, has stepped down with immediate effect after allegations of inappropriate behaviour at a work-related event surfaced on social media.
The agency announced the leadership change in a media statement issued on 22 July, saying: “Avatar today confirmed that Veli Ngubane has stepped down from his role as co-Chief Creative Officer, effective immediately.”
While Avatar did not disclose the specific allegations against Ngubane, it strongly suggested that his departure followed a breach of the company’s code of conduct.
“Avatar holds all of its people to the highest standards of professional conduct. We do not tolerate behaviour that falls short of those standards, and we act when it does,” the agency said.
The agency added that founder and Group CEO Zibusiso Mkhwanazi would continue leading the business, while Phil Ireland has been appointed interim sole Chief Creative Officer to ensure continuity for clients and staff.
Ngubane’s departure follows allegations made by two women on social media, who claimed he behaved in an inappropriate and disturbing manner following a work function in France.
According to the women, they had stepped outside during the event when Ngubane allegedly approached them repeatedly and said, “rape me” three separate times while walking back and forth. They said they did not know who he was at the time and were unsure whether he was attempting to make a joke.
The women further alleged that Ngubane later offered to drive them back to their hotel. One of the women described the encounter as deeply uncomfortable, saying: “Nobody wants to be objectified at work, especially in such a disrespectful manner. Yes, we are in a beautiful environment, but we are here for work. I have never had that level of inappropriate behaviour, even at a bar.”
The women shared a video online in which Ngubane allegedly appears interacting with them.
Following the video’s circulation, Ngubane reportedly acknowledged that he had been highly intoxicated during the incident. He is also reported to have commented on and rated the women’s physical appearance, remarks that drew widespread criticism online.
Avatar’s statement does not explicitly state that Ngubane was dismissed. Instead, it says he “stepped down” with immediate effect. However, the timing of the announcement, coupled with the company’s emphasis on professional standards and acting against unacceptable behaviour, indicates that the leadership change followed the misconduct allegations.
Ngubane is regarded as one of South Africa’s leading creative advertising executives. He co-founded Avatar alongside Zibusiso Mkhwanazi and helped build the Johannesburg-based agency into one of Africa’s most respected independent advertising groups, producing award-winning campaigns for major local and international brands.
Outside of the advertising industry, Ngubane was also known for his relationship with television presenter and media personality Palesa Tembe. The pair were engaged and frequently appeared together at public events before eventually ending their relationship. Their high-profile romance attracted considerable media attention at the time.
Avatar concluded its statement by thanking its stakeholders for their continued support, saying: “We thank our clients, partners and colleagues for their continued confidence in Avatar and the wider Avatar Agency Group.”
Economy
Vegetables disappear from South African plates when winter hits
As temperatures drop, breakfasts become toast instead of tomatoes, lunches lean towards bread and soup, and hearty dinners replace lighter meals. It’s an entirely human response to winter, but one that can leave vegetables falling further down the shopping list.
Every winter, South Africans naturally gravitate towards warm, comforting meals, but in the process, vegetables are often the first thing to disappear from the plate. Tenderstem® broccoli believes the solution isn’t convincing people to abandon comfort food but making it easier to build vegetables into the meals they’re already cooking. Convenience is the real fix: making the healthy choice the easy one. It is the thinking behind an approach that encourages South Africans to include quick-cooking vegetables such as Tenderstem® broccoli, which needs only a few minutes to prepare and can be added straight into meals already on the stove, rather than requiring a separate dish of their own.
Cold weather tends to draw us towards warm, filling foods, with bread, pasta and other carbohydrate-heavy favourites often becoming the easiest choice. The problem is not the comfort food. It is what gets pushed aside to make room for it.
The nutritional data reflects this pattern. According to South Africa’s National Nutrition Week, adults in this country already consume an average of around 230g of fruit and vegetables daily, which is just 58% of the internationally recommended 400g intake. That is the baseline in any season. In winter, when lighter meals feel less appealing and hot, filling food becomes the natural choice, vegetables can become even easier to overlook.
Diets low in fruit and vegetables are associated with a greater risk of non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Winter also coincides with South Africa’s flu season, making a varied diet especially relevant. Vitamin C and folate both contribute to normal immune function and can be found in a range of fresh vegetables.
The answer does not require complicated dietary changes or extra time in the kitchen. It starts with building greens into the meals people are already eating.
Start the week differently
One practical way to improve winter nutrition is to remove the daily decision. A vegetable egg bake or frittata, prepared on a Sunday evening and portioned into the fridge, provides a filling breakfast containing protein, vegetables and fibre for several days. On a cold weekday morning, having something ready to reheat makes the nutritious choice the convenient one.
Brassica greens work particularly well in this format because they hold their texture when baked and release less water than softer vegetables such as courgette or spinach. Tenderstem® broccoli can be added whole, requires no trimming and is edible from floret to stem. Fold a generous handful into whisked eggs, add cheese if desired and bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes. Once portioned, it can be reheated in minutes.
It also answers a familiar winter problem. Breakfast often defaults to buttered toast, cereal or a rusk when the weather is cold and time is short. Preparing a vegetable-based protein option in advance changes that routine without adding pressure to the morning.
Add to what you already cook
Quick-cooking green vegetables can be added to soups, curries and lentil dishes in the final few minutes of cooking, making them an easy part of familiar winter meals.
The key is to choose a vegetable that holds its texture, works with robust flavours and requires little preparation. Tenderstem® broccoli cooks in three to five minutes and can be used from floret to stem. Add it to a butter chicken or lamb curry shortly before serving, stir it through soup or place it in a roasting tray with the roast for the final ten minutes of cooking. Even a grilled cheese sandwich can make room for a few green stems.
Each option fits into a meal that is already being prepared, without requiring a separate dish or additional washing up. An 80g serving counts as one of your five-a-day and is high in vitamin C and folate, which contribute to normal immune function. It also provides fibre, potassium and vitamin B6. “People do not stop caring about nutrition in winter. They choose food that feels warm, filling and manageable. The easiest way to keep vegetables on the menu is to build them into those familiar meals rather than treating them as a separate side dish,” explains Elise Ruddle, Chef and Nutritionist, South African brand representative for Tenderstem®.
Winter eating does not need to become a contest between comfort and nutrition. The more realistic answer is to make vegetables part of the comfort food itself. When greens belong in the curry, soup, breakfast bake or toasted sandwich, eating them no longer depends on anyone feeling virtuous.
