‘Tiger Brands settlement is good’

The Department of Health has welcomed Tiger Brands’ decision to settle in the long-running listeriosis class action. 

The 2017 listeriosis outbreak in South Africa that affected more than 820 people and claimed 218 lives - the most deadly case in global recorded history. 

Listeriosis is a serious but preventable and treatable disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which is commonly found in soil, water, and vegetation. 

Animal products and fresh produce can become contaminated through contact with these sources.

The outbreak was linked to contaminated processed food products, mainly polony and viennas, produced at a Tiger Brands facility in Polokwane and distributed from its Germiston facility.

According to reports, the settlement offer comes as the class action remains in its first phase, which aims to determine Tiger Brands legal liability for the 2017 outbreak. 

Damages will only be assessed if liability is proven.

The undisclosed offer, made on 25 April by Tiger Brands’ lead insurer QBE Insurance Group, is open to those who contracted listeriosis, dependents of deceased victims, and guardians of infected children.

It includes compensation for proven or agreed damages but does not admit liability.

Tiger Brands reportedly said the offer follows earlier advance payments to those with urgent medical needs and reflects its intent to resolve the matter fairly.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys are now expected to present the offer to eligible claimants, with that process likely to take several weeks before damages can be quantified.

Meanwhile, Department of Health national spokesperson Foster Mohale said the government welcomes the development as a critical milestone in bringing the prolonged legal matter to a close for families who lost loved ones to the disease.

Mohale says: “The department acknowledges the roles of all parties involved, including the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Tiger Brands, Richard Spoor Inc, and LHL Attorneys, who kept the victims and their families at the center of this protracted legal process.”

He added that the NICD is providing necessary medical records to assist in decision-making during the ongoing investigation and urged mense who believe they have a valid claim to come forward.