Church in South Africa Calls for Justice as Listeriosis Continues to Affect Victims, nearly a Decade Later

The member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans – OP) said that throughout the years, the commission has been accompanying some of the families to help them cope with the effects of the disease which he said has caused deformities in some children.

He said, “There is a lot of pain and suffering. We have visited families who had been working hard to have a child, only to lose the child because of listeriosis. We have cases of children born with deformities who are unable to attend school due to brain deformities. We accompany them to give them a sense of hope on two levels.”

Fr. Muyebe stated that one of their key services to the victims is offering them hope that what they are going through will come to an end that the ongoing court case will reach a resolution and that justice will be served.

“The first level is that this case has been prolonged, so we encourage them not to give up hope, assuring them that there will be a breakthrough at some point,” he said, and added that they are also helping the victims experience “God's deep healing in their lives.”

He added, “Some of them (victims) are Catholics, while others are not, but even those who ae not Catholic, we have been accompanying them spiritually, encouraging them to open themselves to God's healing presence.”

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“There is a lot of trauma among them, as this was unexpected. Trauma healing requires counseling, of course, but the ultimate healer is our Lord. That is why we have always been inviting and encouraging them to seek healing, which they can only receive from the Lord,” he said.

Fr. Muyebe called upon the private sectors in the southern African nation to take responsibility should their activities harm people.

“I believe it is important that the private sector, which has been involved in harming people, take responsibility and not hide behind legal technicalities. People should be more important than profits,” he said.

He added, “This country needs many companies to invest in it and in Africa. However, when they enter this space of investment, they should also take responsibility,” the member of the Dominicans said in the February 5 conversation.

“Where there is harm, they should not hide or escape accountability because human lives are at stake. These are not just statistics,” he said, and added, “When we look at the figures… it not just about numbers. Behind each figure, there is a suffering family.”

Fr. Muyebe emphasized, “Corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship mean the ability to listen to the cries of the poor and the cries of creation.”

In a joint media statement seen by ACI Africa on Wednesday, February 5, Tiger Brands, Richard Spoor Inc., and LHL Attorneys incorporated confirm that they have “reached an agreement to provide interim relief to certain claimants with urgent needs in the listeriosis class action.”

“We are glad to have open lines of communication with the defendants, at this critical time in the class action. This is an important inroad and a first step in the parties’ efforts towards justice for the victims of the listeriosis outbreak. The interim advance payments will go some way towards relieving the acute needs of the recipients,” said Richard Spoor, Founding Director of Richard Spoor Inc.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.