Pick n Pay Loses Slip-and-Fall Case, Must Pay Damages to Late Springbok’s Widow

• The Supreme Court of Appeal has confirmed Pick n Pay’s legal responsibility in a long-running slip-and-fall case involving Maria Williams
• The ruling closes the retailer’s final challenge and clears the way for damages to be calculated and paid
• The case has drawn attention to customer safety obligations in major retail stores following other recent claims

In a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal, major retailer Pick n Pay has been ordered to pay damages to Maria Williams, the widow of Springboks legend Chester Williams. According to News24, Williams suffered a slip-and-fall incident in 2017 while shopping at a Pick n Pay store in Cape Town.

Williams claimed more than R600 000 in 2019, including R33 000 in medical bills, an anticipated R100 000 for further medical treatment, and R100 000 in lost earnings. Pick n Pay initially denied liability and opposed the claim, arguing that it was not responsible for her injuries.

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However, the Supreme Court of Appeal has now ruled in Williams’s favour. The exact amount the retailer will ultimately be liable for is still to be determined during the quantification phase.

Supreme Court upholds liability

The Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Pick n Pay’s final application to avoid liability in the long-running legal dispute. The court found that the retailer failed to ensure reasonably safe premises for shoppers, leaving it legally responsible for damages.

Williams slipped on an oily or slippery substance on the floor at the Pick n Pay at N1 City Mall in Goodwood on 13 November 2017, injuring her hip and shoulder. She pursued compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings and general damages.

In September 2023, the Western Cape High Court found Pick n Pay liable, ruling that the retailer did not sufficiently rebut the inference of negligence and had not met its duty of care. Pick n Pay argued that it had outsourced cleaning and safety functions to a contractor, but the Supreme Court confirmed that using a third party does not exempt a retailer from legal responsibility for customer safety.

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The appeal was dismissed with costs, with the court finding no exceptional circumstances to justify reopening the matter. Briefly News asked PicknPay for a comment but had not received a comment by the time of publication.

Chester Mornay Williams was one of South Africa’s most iconic rugby players. Born on 8 August 1970 in Paarl, he played as a winger for the Springboks from 1993 to 2000 and was a member of the team that famously won the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

He scored four tries in a quarter‑final match that year and became a symbol of unity in the newly democratic South Africa. After retiring, he went into coaching, including roles with South Africa’s sevens team and various other teams, and he worked as head coach at the University of the Western Cape. Williams died unexpectedly from a heart attack on 6 September 2019 at the age of 49.

Chester Williams married Maria Robson in 2002. Together they raised three children: twins Matthew and Chloe, born to both of them, and Maria’s older son Ryan, whom Chester regarded as his own.

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Maria has been publicly visible in the years since Chester’s death. After he passed, she spoke movingly at his memorial, sharing how much he meant to players at the University of the Western Cape and the broader rugby community. She has stood alongside her children in commemorations of his life and legacy

Other legal claims against Pick n Pay

This is not the first time Pick n Pay has faced legal action relating to customer safety in its stores. In December 2025, Scandal actor Bongani Gumede reportedly sued the retailer for R1 million after a trolley-related tripping incident.

Eben Etzebeth criticises Springboks’ mindset

Briefly News previously reported that Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth has opened up about the chaotic period in South African rugby that culminated in a staggering defeat to the All Blacks in 2016, pinpointing the behaviour of some teammates as a major issue.

After the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, the Springboks struggled under new head coach Allister Coetzee.

Source: Briefly News