The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture will closely monitor the implementation of regulations on pesticide use following the deaths of children across the country, writes Sakhile Mokoena.
Committee Chairperson Ms Dina Pule said that while the committee welcomed a report from the Minister of Agriculture on investigations into the source and distribution of these banned pesticides, it will continue engaging the department to ensure stricter implementation of regulations on the use of pesticides in the country.
“The Minister indicated that the pesticides were smuggled across borders from countries where they are not banned. During a media briefing of the economic cluster committees in Parliament this week, Ms Pule said the committee has requested ongoing updates and will continue engaging with the department to strengthen the regulation of pesticide use. The Chairperson said the committee was deeply concerned by the recent deaths of children caused by pesticide contamination in food bought from spaza shops. She also expressed the committee’s concern about the state of food insecurity in South Africa, as highlighted in reports from Statistics South Africa.
“Despite various government interventions, including conditional grants and the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative, individual and household food insecurity persists. The committee welcomes the ongoing review of the interdepartmental National Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture,” she said.
The Chairperson also gave an update on the department’s progress in implementing the farmer development and support programmes. “These initiatives have been streamlined through the recently approved National Policy on Comprehensive Producer Development Support. As part of this support, the committee engaged with the department, the Land Bank, and the Industrial Development Corporation to assess progress on the Blended Finance Scheme, which aims to drive sector transformation and the commercialisation of black producers,” the Chairperson said. In its engagement with the department, the committee also highlighted the need to accelerate the implementation of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, Sugar Master Plan and the Poultry Master Plan as it believes these plans are critical to the growth and transformation of the agricultural sector.
Another area of focus in the committee’s programme as it conducts oversight over the department and its entities is the worrying issue of repeat Auditor-General findings that have gone unresolved by the department and some of its public entities. “In the previous financial year, three entities received qualified audit opinions. Even unqualified opinions were accompanied by repeat findings, including non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), deficiencies in internal controls, unreliable performance reporting, challenges with revenue management, and the persistent lack of consequence management for irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure – stemming from non-compliance with legislation. These remain significant issues of concern for the committee,” she said.
Ms Pule said the committee has recommended that the department and its entities report to it quarterly to ensure these issues are addressed and to strive for clean audits. She added that these reports should detail the actions taken to address the Auditor-General’s findings by implementing Audit Improvement Plans, including investigations and disciplinary actions against those responsible for irregular, fruitless, or wasteful expenditure.
The committee also raised concerns about the delays in finalising the Animal Welfare Bill, which aims to replace outdated legislation, and amendments to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act and the Perishable Products Export Control Act, both of which have been in development since the 6th Parliament. “We are concerned over the prolonged delays in developing and finalising some of these legislative initiatives, which have been ongoing for more than eight years. The department acknowledged that a lack of capacity and insufficient funding to secure specialised expertise, particularly for the Animal Welfare Bill, were significant contributors to the delays,” said the Chairperson. She said the committee advised the department to explore partnerships with academic institutions to access expertise for legislative drafting and advocate for additional funding to support the development of legislation.
Another recommendation is that the department must ensure thorough consultation with stakeholders before finalising and introducing bills in Parliament.
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