IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, in a press statement, said that the party had submitted complaints to the Public Protector as well as the SAHRC over the issue.

According to Buthelezi South Africa’s staple crops such as maize and soya have been genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Glyphosate.

“But if the World Health Organisation has listed Glyphosate as a known cancer-causing agent, why is no move being made to withdraw the use of this carcinogen in South Africa?”

He said that Glyphosate had been found in the country’s bread and maize meal.

There was a desperate need for the government to review the country’s policies on genetically modified foods as well as an investigation “into the pervasive use of Glyphosate, which has serious implications for the health of farm workers, environmental contamination, and the health of every man, woman and child who eats food produced on our soil,” Buthelezi said.

He accused the government of ignoring the requests of the IFP on the issue.

“It is disturbing that Government has abandoned its responsibility for the wellbeing of South Africans.”

Buthelezi said he had approached the Public Protector last December on the issue, but that all he had received was a response saying that it still needed to be determined if it fell under her office’s jurisdiction.

He said that as he still had no response on the issue, he had taken it up with the SAHRC on September 16. He said that the SAHRC had acknowledged the request for an investigation, but had since then never indicated whether it would investigate. 

Comment could not immediately be obtained from the SAHRC. 

ANA