CAPE TOWN - The People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins ( SAPToA) put government on trial in the court of public opinion this past weekend in Stellenbosch.
It focused on the state's failure to protect people from harmful pesticides.
Farm workers and community members shared their stories.
Mariam Mayet from the African Centre for Biodiversity says the government has failed the people by neglecting health risks in agricultural areas, such as being exposed to pesticides.
"The government has not only been negligent, but has deliberately poisoned people by, firstly, deliberately disregarding the law."
"This has been going on despite the government being aware, for a number of decades that there's a direct relationship between pesticide exposure and cancer," she said.
The SAPToA is a coalition of affected communities, civil society groups, trade unions, and academics dedicated to exposing the dangers of pesticides in South Africa and supporting those impacted by agricultural toxins.
According to SAPToA, South Africa is the largest consumer, in the continent, of toxic chemical compounds registered for use in industrial farming.
The Human Rights Commission as joined the the People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins
SAHRC Commissioner, Philile Ntuli says they have been engaging the government to call for a ban on hazardous pesticides.
She says the minister of Agriculture is aware of this and is in agreement with them.