My name is Dina Ndleleni. I am 63 years old. I am an activist from the Women on Farms Project and former farm worker who for 53 years lived and/or worked on commercial table grape farms in De Doorns in the Hexriver Valley in the Western Cape, South Africa.
In July 2022, while working on Mooigezicht Estates, I was poisoned with Dormex (which contains cyanamide). This has affected all aspects of my life. My lungs were so damaged that I lost my job and income because I was unable to work. I suffer from irreversible, chronic respiratory complaints which result in me being hospitalized a couple of times per year when I struggle to breathe and need artificial oxygen. The quality of my life has been significantly reduced. I can no longer walk long distances or sing in the church choir. When the farmers are aerially spraying pesticide via helicopters, I must hide in my house with the windows and doors shut to protect myself.
In the seven years that I worked on Mooigezicht Estates I never received personal protection equipment (PPE), information on the pesticides used nor training on how to protect myself. There were no toilets in the vineyards, which meant we had to relieve ourselves in the surrounding bushes which were also exposed to pesticides. There was no water to wash our hands with, or health and safety representatives on the farm; we never had blood tests.
I would like to ask Alzchem the following questions:
1. Why does Alzchem continue to export cyanamide for agricultural use to South Africa if it lost its approval in the European Union in 2008 because it is so harmful to human health?
2. What will Alzchem do to ensure that South African farmers subscribe to the safety data sheet of Dormex and inform their workers accordingly?
3. What support can Alzchem provide me to compensate for the permanent health damage I suffered by exposure to Dormex/cyanamide on Mooigezicht Estate in De Doorns, South Africa?
I thank you for your time and look forward to a positive response.
