Zaid Seedat, an ex-inmate, is set to receive over R1 million in compensation after contracting tuberculosis while awaiting trial at Pollsmoor Prison. The Western Cape High Court has ruled that the Minister of Correctional Services is fully liable for the damages, concluding a lengthy 21-year legal battle that highlighted issues of negligence in prison health management.
In a court battle spanning more than two decades, an ex-inmate will be compensated to the tune of more than R1 million after he contracted pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) while awaiting trial.
Zaid Seedat sued the Minister of Correctional Services after he contracted the disease while he was being held at Pollsmoor Prison.
This week, the Western Cape High Court ruled that the Minister of Correctional Services is 100% liable for the plaintiff's damages, following a protracted legal process that culminated in the parties reaching agreement on the issue of negligence after 21 years.
According to court records, Seedat was imprisoned between approximately June 15, 2000, and August 30, 2003, in Pollsmoor Prison as an awaiting-trial prisoner.
