Latest news with #Terbufos
Mail & Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Toxic pesticide ban a victory for people and environmental justice, say activists
The ban on the importation and use of Terbufos signals a shift toward safer, people-centred agriculture Civil society groups have welcomed the cabinet's In October last year, Commonly known as Halephirimi, Last Thursday, the The committee said the department of agriculture would lead the consultation process on the ban in line with its 2010 plan to eradicate poisonous insecticides and pesticides over a period of time and also work on identifying safer alternatives to Terbufos. The banning of Terbufos signals the beginning of the transformation of an agriculture system that is 'riven with conflict of interest, inequity, abuse of worker rights and the unchallenged hegemony of toxic chemicals,' the South African People's Tribunal on AgroToxins (SAPToA) said. 'We will now likely see the deaths of children from this poison decline rapidly just as we saw with Aldicarb was prohibited in 2016. Swanby pointed out that not only do children die from organophosphates such as Terbufos but those who survive live with a lifetime of health and neurological problems. The law governing the registration of pesticides is ancient, she noted. 'It goes back to the post-war era where these chemicals that were used in the war were being repurposed for agriculture and we know a lot more about them now than we did back then, and of course this was also the apartheid era.' With the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the pesticide registration in the country is 'incongruent with our current law', she said. 'That needs a complete overhaul and as it stands now, it suits industry but that has to really be changed as soon as possible if we want to stay safe.' Mechanisms for phasing out pesticides must be included in that law 'so it's not just automatically if you come with your pesticide and you can tick a few boxes, you automatically get registration'. 'The first port of call is to see how we phase out pesticides and how we think about the risks and benefits and what the trajectory of our agricultural production should look like in this new era with our Bill of Rights and our Constitution,' Swanby said. SAPToA noted that despite a government policy adopted in 2010 to phase out highly hazardous pesticides and a regulation being issued in 2023 to restrict Terbufos, 'business continued as usual for the chemical industry who, in the week before the Naledi children died, were still insisting they have more time to prepare for any regulations'. 'For industry, the death of our children due to their products is not an urgent matter. This cabinet decision, recognising our constitutional imperative to put the child's best interests first, marks the end of a long era where the chemical industry has undue influence over the regulation of their deadly products. 'The highest level of government has reined in corporate impunity and said that all South Africans, particularly children, have the right to a safe and healthy environment.' SAPToA said civil society would continue to push for the immediate ban of all 194 highly hazardous pesticides registered in South Africa and to reject the notion of phase-out periods subject to industry discretion, which is a 'fig leaf for industry delay and prevarication'. It is also calling for transparency in governance of agricultural toxins, beginning with making available a public database of all pesticides registered in the country as a constitutional right for all South Africans. The Human Rights Commission said the cabinet's decision to ban Terbufos is a milestone in the realisation of critical socio-economic rights, including the right to health, clean water, a safe environment and adequate food. 'It reflects an emerging shift towards a people-centred food system, 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 Citizen
13-06-2025
- Health
- 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
- Health
- 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
The South African
13-06-2025
- Health
- The South African
South Africa bans Halephirimi after Soweto food poisoning tragedy
The South African Cabinet has officially banned the importation and use of Halephirimi, commonly known by its chemical name, Terbufos, following the food poisoning deaths of children in Soweto last year. These deaths were linked to food contaminated with the toxic pesticide, which is classified as an organophosphate. The move also follows an investigation by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on food-borne illnesses, which focused heavily on the dangers of organophosphate pesticides. The food poisoning, which claimed the lives of several children, drew national outrage. The snacks they consumed were reportedly bought from a local spaza shop. Although the exact source of exposure remains unclear, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said at a media briefing in Cape Town, 'the possibility that the children consumed food contaminated with Terbufos purchased from a local spaza shop remains the most viable explanation.' Furthermore, in response to the food poisoning incident, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the registration of all spaza shops across the country to regulate informal food trade and reduce risks linked to unregulated products. Halephirimi, which farmers use widely to control pests, will now be phased out. The Department of Agriculture will lead a consultation process to identify and promote safer alternatives. 'The Department of Agriculture will lead the consultation process on the ban in line with its 2010 Plan to eradicate poisonous insecticides and pesticides over a period of time,' Ntshavheni explained. '[It will] also work on identifying safer alternatives to Terbufos.' Several other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, and Zambia, have already banned Halephirimi, reinforcing the urgency of South Africa's decision. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
12-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Cabinet bans import of ‘halephirimi' pesticide linked to child deaths in Soweto
The Cabinet has banned the import of Terbufos, a toxic pesticide blamed for the deaths of six children in Soweto. The Cabinet has, with immediate effect, banned the import of the toxic chemical rodenticide Terbufos, commonly referred to as 'halephirimi,' following its alleged link to the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, last year. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced the decision during a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday. She said the ban aims to prevent future public health crises related to food contamination. The decision comes after the Cabinet reviewed a report from the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Food-Borne Illnesses, which focused on the use of organophosphate pesticides in South Africa. The IMC was advised by the Ministerial Advisory Council (MAC) on food-borne illnesses, appointed by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. 'The MAC, which comprises health experts from multiple disciplines, found that Terbufos, a highly hazardous chemical, was the likely cause of the children's deaths,' Ntshavheni said. While the exact circumstances of exposure remain unclear, officials believe the children may have consumed food contaminated with the chemical, allegedly purchased from a local spaza shop. Ntshavheni said the Cabinet has now officially approved the ban on Terbufos imports, with the Department of Agriculture set to lead public consultations.
