CAPE TOWN: : Victims of the world’s worst listeriosis outbreak in South Africa will be invited to sue the owner of the factory named as the source, a human rights lawyer said on Sunday (Mar 11).
Attorney Richard Spoor confirmed that his firm would file a class action suit against Tiger Brands whose facility was last weekend officially revealed to be the origin of the listeria epidemic that has claimed 180 lives.
He predicted that, if the litigation is successful, damages of tens of millions of dollars could be awarded to victims and the families of those killed.
Since January 2017, 948 people in South Africa have contracted listeriosis, a disease caused by bacteria which can contaminate fresh food, notably meat.
Several countries across Africa have imposed restrictions on South African meat imports in response to the crisis.
Health officials say the source of the outbreak was an Enterprise Food plant, owned by Tiger Brands, 300 kilometres northeast of the South African capital Pretoria. The factory produced a popular range of ready-to-eat chilled meats including baloney and Frankfurter sausages.
