Latest Resources

Call on South Africa to deregister agrotoxin 2,4-D

 Dear friends and colleagues, The ACB, supported by 18 organisations/networks in South Africa, has made a substantive submission to the Registrar of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act 36 of 1947 (commonly referred to as Act 36), to institute a review in terms of section 4 of the Act 36, into the continued […]

Is the end of the State of Disaster the beginning of mandatory vaccines in South Africa?

The endless extensions to the State of Disaster, initially declared two years ago, has provoked criticism from medical experts and calls for its end from public-interest groups and an increasingly fed-up citizenry. Recently, the government announced that the restrictions were finally to be lifted.  However, during this time, a draft amendment to the National Health […]

The financialisation of malaria in Africa: Burkina Faso, rogue capital & GM /gene drive mosq...

(Veuillez cliquer ici pour lire en français) The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) hereby publishes a new research paper, titled, “The Financialisation of malaria: Burkina Faso, Rogue capital & GM/gene drive mosquitoes.” This paper seeks to understand the financialisation of malaria as a vehicle for rogue capital in a context of a weakened state (through […]

New Lobby document from ACB: transitioning out of GM maize in SA

This four-page document summarises the recent report published by the African Centre for Biodiversity: Transitioning out of GM maize: to agroecology for sustainable, socially just and nutritional food systems, that argues that we need to urgently shift away from the mono-focus on a maize towards embracing a diversity of crops – particularly indigenous African summer […]

Letter to the UN secretariat on 2,4D

Request for intervention on GMOs likely to have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; GM soybean tolerant to 2,4-D, glufosinate and glyphosate (DAS-44406-6).

Letter to Minister of Health requesting investigation into GM maize and associated pesticides as ...

Elsewhere in the world this crop is grown primarily for the global livestock sector. However, in South Africa some 77% of our maize production is genetically modified and provides the nation with their daily intake of carbohydrates. The debate on the long term health impacts of GM foods has raged around the globe for almost […]

Comments on COMESA’s Draft Policy on Commercial Planting, Trade and Emergency Food Aid Invo...

On the 8th and 9th May 2012 COMESA held a meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, to review a draft policy on the regulation and trade of GMOs for the region. While the Biotech Industry was very well represented at the meeting, civil society was completely left out of the process. This policy is being drafted behind […]

Title Submission to the Dept of Justice on the Promotion of Access to Information Amendment Bill-...

Following the promulgation of the Genetically Modified Organisms Act in 1997, numerous GMOs have been approved in South Africa. The 1997 GMO Act was amended in 2006, and the new regulations took effect on the 26th of February 2010. This submission sets out details of our problems in accessing information from government with regard to […]

ACB submission to the Secretariat of the Biosafety Protocol – discussions on socio-economic...

28 May 2011 The Secretariat of the Biosafety Protocol is engaging in discussions on socio-economic provisions related to decision-making and GMOs (Article 26). The ACB has submitted several studies from South Africa to enrich this discussion and has applied to participate in online discussions. These documents highlight South African experiences regarding the rejection of GM […]