The fight to stop police from spraying Eastern Cape dagga plantations with poisonous glysophates stepped up a gear yesterday when lawyers representing affected rural communities demanded proof it complied with environmental legislation.
Port Elizabeth environmental, human rights and land attorney Rick Stone of Boqwana Burns yesterday confirmed a second letter had been sent to police late last week asking for proof it was environmentally compliant.
The annual spraying of dagga plantations in inaccessible parts of the Mzintshana River near Port St Johns with toxic glysophates has been going on for at least 20 years despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declaring it carcinogenic.
Police priority crimes spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi yesterday denied chemicals used to spray the dagga were harmful.
He claimed the product – manufactured by Monsanto and called Round-up – was approved for use as a weedkiller in South Africa and the European Union and was strictly regulated.
According to Mulaudzi, the poison was applied to manufacturer label instructions.
He denied claims that people in targeted areas suffered negative side effects including birth defects. “The majority of people in that area are sensible and in favour of us destroying the dagga plantations,” the statement said.
“Also, we will stop at nothing to ensure that we fulfil our legal, moral and constitutional obligation to combat all forms of crime.”
He said spraying over 500 hectares of high quality export dagga prevented drugs potentially worth “billions of rands” from making it onto the streets. “Our intelligence has it that this specific type of dagga is one of the most sought-after drugs internationally. Therefore, it can be expected that people may certainly want to stop our endeavour to eradicate the growing and distribution of this drug.”
Although police have not provided Stone with any information on whether the spraying was environmentally compliant as yet, he said a Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) request in the second letter he sent would hopefully shed light on environmental authorisation.
He told the Dispatch no response had been received from Environmental Affairs.
According to Stone, the PAIA request was a “critical arrow” to exhaust all administrative remedies before resorting to costly legal action.
“The information which is required to be disclosed can be used to formulate a successful interdict review and subsequent action for damages.”
He said as long as police kept using glysophates to eradicate dagga, the process would remain a “crime against humanity” and that a court interdict to stop the spraying was another option if no information was forthcoming.
Stone, who is a director at Boqwana Burns, is seeking answers on the spraying of Wild Coast dagga fields on behalf of the Transkei Animal Welfare Initiative (TAWI), the Amapondo Children’s Project (ACP) and Fields of Green for All (FGFA) dagga activism group.
In his correspondence with police, they have called for the suspension of all aerial spraying until an independent review has been done on the use of glysophates. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Lawyers demand proof cops’ dagga poison is safe
Port Elizabeth environmental, human rights and land attorney Rick Stone of Boqwana Burns yesterday confirmed a second letter had been sent to police late last week asking for proof it was environmentally compliant.
The annual spraying of dagga plantations in inaccessible parts of the Mzintshana River near Port St Johns with toxic glysophates has been going on for at least 20 years despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declaring it carcinogenic.
Police priority crimes spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi yesterday denied chemicals used to spray the dagga were harmful.
He claimed the product – manufactured by Monsanto and called Round-up – was approved for use as a weedkiller in South Africa and the European Union and was strictly regulated.
According to Mulaudzi, the poison was applied to manufacturer label instructions.
He denied claims that people in targeted areas suffered negative side effects including birth defects. “The majority of people in that area are sensible and in favour of us destroying the dagga plantations,” the statement said.
“Also, we will stop at nothing to ensure that we fulfil our legal, moral and constitutional obligation to combat all forms of crime.”
He said spraying over 500 hectares of high quality export dagga prevented drugs potentially worth “billions of rands” from making it onto the streets. “Our intelligence has it that this specific type of dagga is one of the most sought-after drugs internationally. Therefore, it can be expected that people may certainly want to stop our endeavour to eradicate the growing and distribution of this drug.”
Although police have not provided Stone with any information on whether the spraying was environmentally compliant as yet, he said a Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) request in the second letter he sent would hopefully shed light on environmental authorisation.
He told the Dispatch no response had been received from Environmental Affairs.
According to Stone, the PAIA request was a “critical arrow” to exhaust all administrative remedies before resorting to costly legal action.
“The information which is required to be disclosed can be used to formulate a successful interdict review and subsequent action for damages.”
He said as long as police kept using glysophates to eradicate dagga, the process would remain a “crime against humanity” and that a court interdict to stop the spraying was another option if no information was forthcoming.
Stone, who is a director at Boqwana Burns, is seeking answers on the spraying of Wild Coast dagga fields on behalf of the Transkei Animal Welfare Initiative (TAWI), the Amapondo Children’s Project (ACP) and Fields of Green for All (FGFA) dagga activism group.
In his correspondence with police, they have called for the suspension of all aerial spraying until an independent review has been done on the use of glysophates. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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