Listeriosis outbreak affects local businesses

Makers of kotas or township burgers are left without business, due to the recent announcement by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.

In his statement, Motsoaledi said that the source of the present listeriosis outbreak had been traced to the Enterprise factory in Polokwane and it had tested positive for the ST6 strain. At a factory in the Free State, polony tested positive for listeria, but the strain is unconfirmed.

Motsoaledi urged consumers to avoid using ready-to-eat meat products. Ready-to-eat products, such as viennas, polony and russians, form the basis of township burgers.

Mr Emmanuel Nemuvhuyuni, a 38-year-old breadwinner from Ngovhela backside, who sells kotas in Thohoyandou, said the recent announcement affected his businesses badly, as kotas are his best seller. “Without polony, viennas or russians, we can not make kotas, and without kotas I don't even make half of my daily profit,” he said, “Immediately after hearing that polony may be the source of the disease, I stopped making kotas because I didn’t want to put my customer's health in danger.”

He is now only selling boiled eggs and fried chips.   

News - Date: 17 March 2018

Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

Email: [email protected]