Six years after the devastating listeriosis outbreak, survivors continue to battle both declining health and a lengthy legal fight for justice.
According to the Listeriosis Outbreak Situation Report prepared by the National Listeria Incident Management Team, 1 060 cases were reported to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and more than 200 deaths were reported between January 2017 and July 2018.
Listeria monocytogenes was detected in Tiger Brands’ production environment at the Enterprise Food Factory in Polokwane, forcing the company to shut down both the Polokwane and Germiston Enterprise factories on March 4 2018.
Stephen Lichakane said he lost his wife shortly after childbirth in 2018 and did not imagine at the time that her death could be due to listeriosis.
As a result, his daughter faces health complications, including problems with her lungs and eyesight, allegedly caused by listeriosis contracted in utero.
“Losing my wife was heartbreaking, especially because she left me with a young baby that had to survive through machines. At the time, I had to deal with matters of the funeral, while also trying to navigate how I would raise my sick child,” said Lichakane.
Amelia Victor from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, highlighted that she had diarrhoea and shortness of breath, which are symptoms of the deadly disease. This forced her into early labour and her daughter was declared brain dead on the second day.
She said the symptoms did not stop even after discharged from hospital and this triggered the paediatrician to take blood tests, which revealed that both the mother and child were exposed to listeriosis.
A class action is being brought by public interest law firm Richard Spoor Incorporated (RSI) in a bid to find justice for the listeriosis victims.
Lawyer Amy Tuchten, explained that while the case is primarily focused on securing appropriate compensation for the victims of the listeriosis outbreak, it is also about holding corporations accountable. “RSI’s greatest concern is the impact that the lengthy litigation process has and will continue to have on the victims of the listeriosis outbreak. We have children who to this day are unable to walk, unable to sit up unassisted or eat solid foods as a result of their contraction of listeriosis,” said Tuchten.
Tiger Brands has rejected any pre-trial settlement and insisted that the issue of listeriosis liability must be determined in the courtroom.
The company’s media and public relations manager, Azure Fey, said the company was committed to working diligently to bring the listeriosis class action, certified at the Johannesburg High Court in 2018, to a close as speedily as possible.
“The 2018 listeriosis outbreak affected many South Africans. We are saddened by the impact which listeriosis has had, and continues to have, on the lives of the victims and those who have lost loved ones from the outbreak,” said Fey.
Fey said the court would allocate a trial date once all necessary pre-trial procedures have been attended to and the matter is ready to proceed to trial.
