In a decision welcomed by advocacy groups and researchers, South Africa’s Cabinet has approved a ban on the import of Terbufos, a highly toxic pesticide linked to the deaths of six children in a South African township in October 2024.
On June 12, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister of Presidency, said the ban will be accompanied by enforcement measures and broader consultations “to identify safer alternatives to Terbufos.”
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) called the decision “a historic milestone in the realisation of critical socio-economic rights, including the right to health, clean water, a safe environment, and adequate food.”
Terbufos, also known as Halephirimi, is legally registered as an agricultural pesticide in South Africa, although the World Health Organization classifies it as a Class 1A organophosphate pesticide, indicating it’s highly toxic.
According to SAHRC, Terbufos has been banned in the EU since 2009 and is prohibited in 13 Southern Africa countries, including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In South Africa, Terbufos and roughly 194 other highly hazardous pesticides continue to be used, according to a database maintained by UnPoison, a South African advocacy group focused on reforming pesticide regulation. UnPoison adds that South Africa doesn’t publicly disclose its complete list of registered pesticides.
Used in citrus and vineyards, maize, wheat and sugarcane plantations, Terbufos is considered toxic to mammals, birds, honeybees and aquatic organisms. The pesticide can also cause deaths and long-term health effects like cancers and reduced fertility among exposed farmworkers, Hanna-Andrea Rother, head of the environmental health division at the University of Cape Town, told Mongabay by email.
Rother said Terbufos is also used as a “street pesticide” to control pest infestations in South Africa’s townships, communities where Black citizens were required to live during apartheid. Household pesticides are often ineffective as pests become resistant, so pesticides like Terbufos registered for agricultural use only are used to control rodents, cockroaches, flies, fleas and bedbugs, Rother added.
“When Terbufos is used as a street pesticide, those exposed and at risk are the informal vendors (often women), children who accompany informal vendors when selling and who accidently ingest it,” Rother said.
Although the backlash against Terbufos intensified after the deaths of six children in Naledi in 2024, Rother and her colleagues had previously identified Terbufos as a cause of death among several children in Cape Town.
Rother said she welcomes the government’s initiative to ban Terbufos but cautioned that a ban often involves a phaseout period, meaning a pesticide can continue to be used until stockpiles are gone. “The other concern is that without addressing the problem of rats and pest infestations in the townships, street pesticides will continue to be used,” she said.
The SAHRC said it will continue to monitor the implementation and enforcement of the ban and advocate for a ban on all other highly hazardous pesticides.
Banner image: Agricultural pesticides are often highly toxic. Image via Flickr by C. de Bode/CGIAR (CCBY-NC-SA2.0).
