GNU ministers snub tribunal on pesticides killing pupils

Four minister skipped hearings where farm hands testified of horrors of agrotoxins

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

Four ministers of government of national unity (GNU) appear to have shunned an event organised to discuss the danger of pesticides that killed several school kids and left farm workers sick.

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, environment minister Dion George, and labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth were missing in action at the South African People's Tribunal on agrotoxins in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, on Human Rights Day weekend despite an invitations sent out to their offices.

The ministers were invited to the tribunal by The Women on Farms Project, but none of them showed up.

Original copies of the invitations that Sunday World has seen went out to Steenhuisen, Motsoaledi, George and Meth, but they all failed to attend, citing various reasons.

Disappointed organisers placed a placard emblazoned with the words "Minister Steenhuisen Ban Terbufos Now!" on the DA leader's empty chair.

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale explained that Motsoaledi could not attend as pesticides are the turf of the agriculture department.

George's spokesperson, Thobile Molobi, blamed the minister's non-attendance on robust IT systems that flagged the invitation "as potential spam".

Minister Steenhuisen's media liaison Joylene van Wyk disputed the validity of two out of the three email addresses used to send the invitation to the minister.

She, however, confirmed that the third address, belonging to Steenhuisen, was correct, but said he never uses it.

"He never received the email," she said.