Six years after a listeriosis outbreak ripped through South Africa, killing over 200 people and leaving survivors living with life-threatening conditions, top lawyer Richard Spoor says food producer Tiger Brands are delaying in taking responsibility for their negligence.
Evidence from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) traced listeriosis to the Tiger Brands factory in Polokwane, but he says the company appears to be using legal loopholes to delay compensating victims.
On Monday during a media briefing, Richard Spoor Incorporated (RSI) and LHL Attorneys, who are representing over 1,000 claimants, said Tiger Brands was furnished with the latest evidence at the end of January but have not done anything to compensate the victims.
Further tests by the NICD in January 2024 confirmed that 382 ST6 listeria isolates were of human, product, and environmental origin, which linked the infections to Tiger Brands’ Polokwane facility.
Listeriosis was transmitted through contaminated French polony.
Spoor said the evidence links Tiger Brands as the main and likely only source of the outbreak.
“The legal delays have dealt the worst blows to children whose mothers were pregnant when they were first infected.”
Pregnant women gave birth to babies with a range of disabling conditions, among them cerebral palsy and babies suffering constant seizures. In some cases, the babies had serious brain damage.
“Most of the victims and those affected are from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds who bought the products as a cheaper option.
“They innocently ate them not knowing that they were infected with a life threatening virus; unfortunately many have died while others’ lives took a horrific turn.
“Caring for children seriously disabled as a result of listeriosis has also cost parents their jobs,” he said.
Spoor said though they are preparing for a court trial on the matter, they are calling on Tiger Brands to compensate those whose lives were ruined after they or their loved ones ate infected products.
Sharing the suffering, lead plaintiff Monthla Ngobeni said Tiger Brands has to pay for their negligence.
“It is too much pain for parents who are living with conditions as a result of the infection and children born with the infection and having to live with life-threatening conditions.
“I had to sell my house to be able to afford my daughter’s medical bills. To date we have spent over R400,000 in medical bills,” she said.
Pictured above: Richard Spoor and Monthla Ngobeni.
