Women on Farms Project welcomes ban on terbufos
Thandoluhle Ngcobo 17 June 2025 | 16:52 Terbufos
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Black granules purchased in Tembisa that were sent for testing came back positive for terbufos. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Women on Farms Project says Cabinet's decision to ban terbufos is a victory that will transform farming practices, prioritising lives over profit. Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni made the announcement last week during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Parliament. Terbufos made headlines last year after it was linked to the passing of six children from Naledi in Soweto.
The children died after consuming snacks bought from spaza shops.
EXPLAINER: What you need to know about terbufos
Women on Farms Project has welcomed the announcement to ban the hazardous pesticide, terbufos.
Addressing the media after a post-Cabinet briefing last week, Ntshaveno said, 'Cabinet has approved the ban of import of terbufos in South Africa.'
The highly hazardous organophosphate insecticide is primarily used in agriculture to control insects and nematodes in the soil.
However, due to its toxicity, it's also a major cause of pesticide poisoning, especially in informal markets where it's sold as a "street pesticide" without proper labelling or warnings.
While the announcement has been well received, Women on Farms says the struggle continues as there are still many other similar hazardous agrochemicals that must be banned.
Spokesperson Kara Mackay explained, 'We endorse the South African Human Rights Commission's proposal to establish a multi-sectoral task team with a six-month mandate to identify viable, effective alternatives to terbufos and other highly hazardous pesticides.'
Mackay added that she hopes the announcement offers some solace to the families of the deceased children.
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Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Women on Farms Project welcomes ban on terbufos
Thandoluhle Ngcobo 17 June 2025 | 16:52 Terbufos Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Black granules purchased in Tembisa that were sent for testing came back positive for terbufos. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News JOHANNESBURG - The Women on Farms Project says Cabinet's decision to ban terbufos is a victory that will transform farming practices, prioritising lives over profit. Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni made the announcement last week during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Parliament. Terbufos made headlines last year after it was linked to the passing of six children from Naledi in Soweto. The children died after consuming snacks bought from spaza shops. EXPLAINER: What you need to know about terbufos Women on Farms Project has welcomed the announcement to ban the hazardous pesticide, terbufos. Addressing the media after a post-Cabinet briefing last week, Ntshaveno said, 'Cabinet has approved the ban of import of terbufos in South Africa.' The highly hazardous organophosphate insecticide is primarily used in agriculture to control insects and nematodes in the soil. However, due to its toxicity, it's also a major cause of pesticide poisoning, especially in informal markets where it's sold as a "street pesticide" without proper labelling or warnings. While the announcement has been well received, Women on Farms says the struggle continues as there are still many other similar hazardous agrochemicals that must be banned. Spokesperson Kara Mackay explained, 'We endorse the South African Human Rights Commission's proposal to establish a multi-sectoral task team with a six-month mandate to identify viable, effective alternatives to terbufos and other highly hazardous pesticides.' Mackay added that she hopes the announcement offers some solace to the families of the deceased children.
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- The Citizen
SA Human Right Council welcomes Cabinet ban on Terbufos
It follows incidents in 2024 where a number of children died in Naledi in Soweto after eating snacks bought from spaza shops. The Cabinet's decision to ban Terbufos pesticide is a historic milestone in the realisation of critical socio-economic rights, says the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC). The Cabinet has approved the ban on the import of Terbufos, commonly known as Galiphirimi, into the country. Terbufos This was announced by Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Parliament on Thursday. The banning of Terbufos follows incidents in the country in 2024, when a number of children died in Naledi in Soweto after consuming toxic snacks bought from spaza shops. Ban More than 20 children died in Gauteng in 2024 in incidents believed to be linked to spaza shops and illegally sold pesticides. 'The Cabinet has approved the ban of Terbufos and the import of this chemical compound into South Africa. Terbufos, classified as an organophosphate, is commonly used as an insecticide and pesticide in the farming community,' Ntshavheni said. 'The ban will be accompanied by a suite of enforcement measures, while broader consultations are underway to identify safer alternatives in order to safeguard food security and support farmers.' ALSO READ: UPDATE: Education department clarifies reports of Soweto child 'food poisoning' death Parliament In February, the SAHRC lobbied parliament's portfolio committee on agriculture to urge an immediate ban on harmful pesticides, including Terbufos. In its presentation to Parliament, the SAHRC strongly advocated for a national ban on Terbufos and called for a shift towards regenerative agriculture and enhanced government action to protect public health. Despite a public outcry and a promised crackdown on Terbufos, it is still allegedly being sold in spaza shops Food system SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi said the Cabinet's decision reflects an emerging shift towards a people-centred food system. 'This is where communities are empowered to determine their own approaches to production, markets, ecology and culture aligned with principles of social, economic and environmental justice. 'The SAHRC continues to share its heartfelt condolences with the families who lost their children in Naledi, Soweto, and in other parts of the country due to pesticide-related illnesses linked to Terbufos,' Baloyi said. It's not clear yet when the ban on Terbufos will come into effect. ALSO READ: Joburg blames the 'lack of resources' in five children's deaths
Daily Maverick
13-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
Cabinet approves Terbufos ban in crucial step towards protecting SA's children
Following repeated deaths of children linked to the deadly pesticide Terbufos, the Cabinet has announced a ban on importing and selling the product. Speaking on Thursday, 12 June 2025, at a post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced: 'Cabinet has approved the ban of Terbufos in South Africa, a chemical compound classified as an organophosphate, commonly used as an insecticide and pesticide.' The minister said the Cabinet had received a report from the inter-ministerial committee on food-borne illnesses, with 'a special focus on organophosphate pesticides'. In 2024, six children in Naledi, Soweto, died after consuming Terbufos, a pesticide commonly used within the agricultural sector in South Africa but that is commonly sold illegally for home use at informal stores. More than 20 children died in Gauteng in 2024 in incidents believed to be linked to spaza shops and illegally sold pesticides. Earlier in February, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) lobbied Parliament for the banning of Terbufos. As Daily Maverick reported in March, despite a public outcry and a promised crackdown on Terbufos, it is still sold in spaza shops and on street corners in Johannesburg. Details unclear It's not clear yet when the ban will come into effect. On Thursday night, Joylene van Wyk, the spokesperson of Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, said: 'We note the Cabinet decision, and we are working on the legal notice to implement the decision.' Mariam Mayet, the director of the African Centre for Biodiversity, said banning the product would be challenging for the government. 'They have to get their act together and ensure that Terbufos is removed completely from our country, from urban areas, from the streets, and from the farms.' Mayet said she remained concerned 'because the ban needs implementation and our government has not been seen to be able to control and exercise proper enforcement around it'. She described the announcement as bittersweet. The African Centre for Biodiversity was part of a collective of organisations and civil society groups that wrote to Steenhuisen in December 2024 to demand the ban of Terbufos as well as other hazardous pesticides. 'I was feeling very sad yesterday because I felt that, did it mean that our children had to die first?' she said. Spaza shops During Thursday's briefing, Ntshavheni said: 'While specifics to determine the exposure by the children remain uncertain, the possibility that the children consumed food contaminated with Terbufos purchased from a local spaza shop remains the most viable explanation.' Mayet suggested the minister was scapegoating the spaza shops while the government had failed to enforce its regulations. She said Ntshavheni 'still insists that there's a link between the poisoning in spaza shops. So they still haven't given up on the issue of spaza shops because we know that the proliferation was illegal because it was registered only for agricultural use and it landed up in urban areas.' According to the civil society groups' earlier calls for the ban, Terbufos has been banned for use within the European Union (EU) since 2009, but some countries within the EU region 'apply double standards and continue to allow the production and export of Terbufos, especially to developing countries'. Terbufos has been banned in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by Angola, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zambia. Botswana's ban came into effect in December 2024. Zimbabwe has not imported any Terbufos since 2002. DM
