'Long road ahead', in spite of Tiger Brands' listeriosis admission
Lawyers representing the victims of the deadly listeriosis outbreak believe there is still a long road ahead before those responsible are held accountable.
This in spite of Tiger Brands' admission that the outbreak was caused by a strain found in their factory.
At least 199 people have died from listeriosis since the start of the year.
But redress for those affected might take some time as the class action lawsuit is still at its certification stage.
According to human rights lawyer, Richard Spoor, discussions are taking place in an attempt to consolidate the two separate legal challenges brought by different legal firms.
"There have also been discussions with Tiger Brands and their lawyers about a way forward, and finding a mutually agreed way forward. We hopeful that within the next few weeks we will find some of agreement on how to take the matter on."
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Tiger Brands confirmed on Thursday that its own tests also traced the outbreak to their Polokwane factory, an admission Spoor describes as very significant.
"It is essentially saying: 'We are responsible for this outbreak, we are responsible for this epidemic, we are responsible for the deaths and all the people who got sick'."
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In spite of the company's admission, Spoor says discovery, pleadings, expert reports, medical evidence all need to be in place before the case will see the inside of a court.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed earlier this week that 92% of cases containing the deadly ST6 strain of listeriosis has been traced back to Enterprise Foods' facility in Polokwane.