SAHRC joins SAPTOA to hear how communities are impacted by agrotoxins
The tribunal is taking place in Stellenbosch on Saturday. It follows a meeting between the commission and the Department of Agriculture on the human rights implications of agricultural pesticides.
Picture: Pixabay.com
CAPE TOWN - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has joined the South African People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins (SAPToA) to hear how members of various communities have been impacted by agrotoxins.
The tribunal is taking place in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
It follows a meeting between the commission and the Department of Agriculture on the human rights implications of agricultural pesticides.
ALSO READ: Women on Farms Project calls for regulation of farm pesticides
SAPTOA includes affected communities, civil society groups, trade unions, and academics who are trying to expose the dangers of pesticide use in the country.
SAPTOA said South Africa was the largest consumer of toxic chemical compounds used in industrial farming on the continent and that this had already claimed the lives of several children in urban areas.
Experts speaking at the tribunal are addressing policy, regulatory, and environmental issues, as well as the health impacts the pesticides have on vulnerable groups.
The tribunal continues on Sunday in Stellenbosch.