Emergency withdrawal on fixed investment

We had invested some funds from my retirement into a 5 year fixed deposit last year at the above branch of Nedbank. Unfortunately due to unforeceen circumstances, there is an emergency and require access to some of these funds. When we approached the branch , the consultant advised us that we can only access the funds once I became deceased. We have also approached other banks and they advise that their fixed deposits can be accessed subject to a penalty fee being charged which we are prepared to pay. We desperately need these funds and are seeking assistance from Nedbank failing which, we will look to close our accounts and change over to another bank that understand clients needs.