After years of denial and courtroom back-and-forth, South Africa’s food manufacturing giant Tiger Brands is taking its first real steps toward compensating victims of the country’s deadliest foodborne illness outbreak — a listeriosis crisis that left over 1 000 people infected and more than 200 dead.
The outbreak, which surfaced in 2017 and continued into 2018, was eventually traced to a production facility operated by Enterprise Foods in Polokwane, Limpopo – a subsidiary of Tiger Brands. Now, seven years on, a partial settlement offer has been placed on the table in the class action lawsuit that has haunted the company’s reputation ever since, as reported by the Daily Maverick.
The deal, facilitated by QBE Insurance Group – Tiger Brands’ lead reinsurer – was formally made on 25 April 2025. According to the company, this proposal offers to pay proven or agreed compensatory damages in line with South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act. But crucially, it does so ‘without admission of liability’, a caveat that may frustrate some of the victims’ families.
Still, it’s the most tangible sign of progress in the long-running legal fight. The settlement applies to a specific group of claimants: those infected by the ST6 strain of Listeria monocytogenes and families who lost loved ones or cared for those who fell ill from it.
Tiger Brands CEO Tjaart Kruger described the development as an ‘important milestone’, especially after interim relief payments were disbursed earlier this year to those with urgent medical needs. The current focus is now on identifying qualifying victims and calculating appropriate compensation – a process that will unfold over the coming weeks.
While the court has not yet ruled on Tiger Brands’ legal liability, the evidence continues to stack up. Forensic microbiology conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and DNA analysis have drawn a direct line from human cases of infection to the now-defunct Enterprise Foods facility in Polokwane. The ST6 strain behind the outbreak was genetically identical in hundreds of samples collected from patients, factory equipment and processed food.
A turning point came in 2024 when new lab evidence, obtained through the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), definitively ruled out any other facility besides Polokwane as the source. This data helped drive a renewed push for accountability.
The legal team behind the class action, including Richard Spoor Inc. and LHL Attorneys, welcomed the settlement offer, calling it a result of ‘exemplary scientific investigation’ by the NICD. The lawyers claim that even Tiger Brands’ own experts could not dispute the link between the factory and the outbreak.
But this is far from over.
While some relief is finally on the horizon for selected victims, attorneys stressed that the settlement framework is still in development. Before any payouts can be finalised, the offer must be approved by the High Court, which will examine the fairness of the process and evaluate how damages should be calculated for each claimant.
Thousands of others who may have been affected remain unaccounted for. Many were from poorer communities and rural areas, and some victims may have died without ever being correctly diagnosed. The Department of Health has pledged to assist by providing access to hospital records to trace potential claimants.
Veteran activist Mark Heywood, who has advocated for victims since the early days of the outbreak, didn’t mince words: ‘It’s shocking that it has taken Tiger Brands seven years to admit the obvious,’ he said. ‘The company needs to apologise properly, stop dragging its feet, and compensate everyone who was harmed. Justice has been delayed for too long.’
The listeriosis class action is being handled in two phases. The first, still ongoing, is meant to determine Tiger Brands’ liability. If a court confirms fault, the second phase would quantify damages owed to each qualifying individual or family.
While the food giant insists it has adequate insurance to cover any fallout, public trust remains fractured. Many South Africans still recall the nationwide panic of 2018, when processed meat products were pulled from shelves and scores of families buried loved ones who fell ill from something as mundane as a lunchtime sandwich.
As the legal process continues, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Tiger Brands may finally be running out of places to hide.
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Picture: Lubabalo Lesolle / Gallo Images
