Six years after deadly listeriosis outbreak, Daily Maverick details the growing case against Tiger Brands

In a new series, Daily Maverick shares the stories of four families affected by the 2017-2018 listeriosis outbreak, which killed more than 200 people in South Africa.

More than six years after the devastating listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, Daily Maverick is releasing a powerful series of articles and interviews, detailing the latest legal battle and the impact on victims and survivors.

The outbreak, which killed more than 200 people, occurred between June 2017 and April 2018 and has been dubbed the largest in global history. New developments in the case have now officially linked Tiger Brands to the outbreak and reinvigorated calls for justice for the victims and survivors. 

Daily Maverick journalists Tamsin Metelerkamp and Lerato Mutsila, and photographer Thom Pierce, visited some of the affected families, who despite the reach and consequences of the outbreak, have yet to see justice. 

In this series, they share the stories of four families that are unique in every sense of the word, except for a single thread that connects them: their lives were turned upside down when they or their loved ones contracted listeriosis after consuming a product from Tiger Brands’ Enterprise business. The products are mostly processed meat.

The series also reveals new evidence and unpacks the epidemiologic, traceback and environmental investigations that allowed the National Institute for Communicable Diseases to link the outbreak to the Tiger Brands/Enterprise factory in Polokwane, offering readers an in-depth understanding of the continuing quest for accountability. 

Find the full story and stay informed about the latest developments here and here.

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