The discovery of a piece of cooked penis in her stew was so traumatic for a hospital cleaner that she had to receive psychiatric help.
She was completely turned off meat, becoming a vegetarian overnight.
Sophie Matlala was so upset that she launched a R2,5-million damages claim against her employer, Medforum Hospital.
The Pretoria High Court on Tuesday heard that her ordeal occurred on May 11, 1999, as she sat down for lunch and started to enjoy a plate of goulash - the treat for the day.
Matlala, 60, took a couple of bites of the rest of the meal, before tackling the meat. It was slippery and she could not cut it with a knife. She took it in her hand and placed it in her mouth, but the court heard that the "meat" was so tough she could not bite through it.
She took the offending morsel out of her mouth, inspected it with her colleagues, and they all concluded that it was a penis.
Matlala said she vomited for the rest of the afternoon. She claimed that the hospital had the duty to ensure that meals served to staff were fit for human consumption.
Hospital authorities confirmed the woman's suspicions, but indicated that meals for the staff were obtained from a different supplier from the one who supplied food for patients.
Because it had been cooked, it could not be established whether the penis was from a human or an animal.
Judge Phineas Mojapelo turned down her application. He pointed out that she had had three years from the date of the incident to institute legal action but had failed to do so until it was too late.
He expressed the hope that her legal advisers would advise her that she could institute a claim against them.