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A woman in Polokwane in Limpopo has claimed that her five-year-old daughter is suffering from severe side-effects after contracting listeriosis after she ate cold meat products during her pregnancy in 2017.
Ruth Manamela* told City Press that she experienced intense cravings for cold meat, including polony, viennas and russian sausages, and because she lived near the Enterprise factory in Polokwane, these were easily accessible to her. She explained that following the birth of her child in 2018, "all seemed well," until "a few days later", when her infant "began experiencing convulsions, which looked odd".
The 41-year-old mother said:
According to Manamela, the paediatrician told her that her baby's head was showing signs of abnormalities. After tests were conducted, it was concluded that the baby had hydrocephalus - a condition where there is a buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain - and she was subsequently admitted to a private hospital where the fluids were drained.
"I was not able to hold my daughter for over four weeks. It was one of the most difficult times of my life," said the mother, who added that since her daughter was born, the child had undergone six operations. The mother of three added she hoped that would not have to go through that anymore as it cost her emotional and financial strain.
READ: Four years on | A look back at the world’s largest listeria outbreak in SA
"My whole family has had to adjust to the financial constraints that this infection has had on my child.
"As we speak, my husband and I have decided to sell our house in the suburbs and we are moving to the village because we simply cannot afford the municipal water and electricity tariffs given our daughter's condition."
She further explained that the infection, which led to the diagnosis of hydrocephalus, had caused major damage to the nerves that controlled her baby's bladder and bowel movements, causing them to malfunction.
"This has led to the bullying and mocking of my child at school."
She said while sobbing:
Manamela has since approached lawyers as she is seeking compensation from packaged goods company Tiger Brands, which is also the mother body of Enterprise.
She told City Press that her case was being handled by public interest private law firm Richard Spoor Incorporated Attorneys, which represents individuals who were affected by the infection during the outbreak that saw over 200 people lose their lives while some mothers suffered from miscarriages.
Catherine Marcus, an attorney at the firm, said a class action lawsuit against Tiger Brands was opened in 2018 and the case had been ongoing since then.
She explained:
Marcus added that this was a simple case which should not have taken as long as it had because it was quite clear that Tiger Brands was responsible for the outbreak.
"The defence that they have provided so far is just a broad denial whereas we provided them with our expert reports, which confirmed the findings by the NICD, which they say is not enough evidence. Tiger Brands has to send us a response by providing their expert reports to dispute ours and if they can't, our report stands," said the attorney.
READ: Enterprise should have cut the BS, been open about listeria
Speaking to City Press, Tiger Brands, who confirmed that a lawsuit had been instituted against them, said they were saddened by the effect the 2018 listeriosis outbreak has had on the lives of the victims and those who had lost loved ones from it.
The organisation said:
"Tiger Brands reiterates its commitment to ensuring that a resolution of the matter is reached in the shortest possible time, in the interest of all parties, particularly the victims of listeriosis."
However, Manamela said: "Tiger Brands does not care about us. They have no sympathy whatsoever for what happened to us. They think it's a joke. We are dealing with people's lives here. They should compensate us for the medical bills that we incurred as a result of their negligence."
*Not her real name
