The South African People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins (SAPToA) put government on trial in the court of public opinion this past weekend for gross dereliction of its constitutional duties to protect the right to life. Farm workers and community members shared harrowing testimonies of how government has persistently failed to protect farm workers, their families, and low-resource communities from the catastrophic consequences of exposure to highly hazardous pesticides.

Coinciding with Human Rights Day, the Tribunal took place in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape and was adjudicated by a panel of three highly influential South African women – Judge Navi Pillay, Dr Sophia Kisting-Cairncross, and Human Rights Commissioner Philile Ntuli.

ACB executive director Mariam Mayet made the opening statement at the Tribunal:

Click here to watch recordings of the proceedings on the SAPToA YouTube channel.

View some of the media coverage of the Tribunal:

eNCA | Agrotoxin Tribunal | Pesticides health risks for farm workers and communities
IOL | South African Peoples Tribunal to address agrochemical crisis and government accountability in court of public opinion
EWN | SAHRC joins SAPTOA to hear how communities are impacted by agrotoxins
EWN | Women on Farms Project calls for regulation of farm pesticides
Sunday World | GNU ministers snub tribunal on pesticides killing pupils
Euro News | Dying for a glass of wine? South African farm workers fight EU’s ‘toxic trade’ in pesticides
Africa Sustainability Matters | South African farm workers demand an end to Europe’s toxic pesticide exports
Stellenbosch Media Forum News | Tribunal: Farm workers slam the use of pesticides

For more information on the South African People’s Tribunal on Agrotoxins, visit the website: https://agrotoxinstribunalsa.co.za/.