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UCT expert calls for immediate ban on toxic pesticide after learners’ deaths

# University of Cape Town’s head of Environmental Health Division, Andrea Rother, urges an immediate ban on terbofus, the pesticide linked to the death of six children in Naledi, Soweto. The children consumed snacks contaminated with this neurotoxin, which is used in agriculture but is illegal for domestic use. The World Health Organisation classifies terbofus as extremely hazardous. Rother warns that street pesticides pose a significant risk, emphasising the need for urgent action to prevent further fatalities.