In December, the ACB, alongside a coalition of organisations, academics, and unions, submitted a letter of demand to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen. This urgent appeal calls for the immediate ban of Terbufos — a highly hazardous pesticide implicated in the tragic deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, last year.

To amplify this call, we launched an extensive media campaign to expose the persistent regulatory failures and conflicts of interest that continue to jeopardise public health and safety.

View some of the media coverage on this critical issue below:

eNCA | Calls to ban Terbufos
CapeTalk | Ban Terbufos and HHPs or face legal action Minister Steenhuisen
Smile FM | Farm workers wants Terbufos banned following food illness cases

Mail & Guardian | Legal threat to agriculture minister over delay in banning Terbufos
IOL | Letter of demand for Steenhuisen to act against hazardous pesticides
EnviroNews Nigeria | Civil society alliance urges South African govt to ban Terbufos, HHPS
IOL | Call for ban on lethal pesticide after child deaths

In our letter, we also demand that the Minister ban all HHPs that are already banned in the European Union within six months. The Minister had been put on notice to implement these actions or face legal action within 21 days. We have since, however, granted the department an extension to 28 February to respond.

The letter was submitted by ACB, as well as on behalf of a coalition of farm workers and civil society organisations, including the Women on Farms Project (WFP), the Commercial Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU), Groundwork, Friends of the Earth SA, Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE); Khanyisa Education and Development Trust (Khanyisa), and several academic experts working in the public health sector for decades concerning pesticides.