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PanAfrican News Agency

In a letter to the Environment Minister, Mohammed Valli Moosa, the environmental organisations expressed "shock" and "deep disappointment" that the government has allegedly dismissed commitments to the global community and in particular to all Africans, by authorising the toxic imports.

The organisations, including Greenpeace, Basel Action Network (BAN), Earthlife Africa, GroundWork and others, demanded the government of South Africa to take an unequivocal stand against involvement in the international hazardous waste trade.

"Australia's export of hazardous waste to South Africa reveals this country's total disregard to the people and environment of South Africa.

"It also betrays the commitment taken by the government with the rest of the international community to halt all exports of hazardous wastes to developing countries," said Matt Ruchel of Greenpeace Australia.

In 1994, largely due to a strong push by African nations, the United Nations' treaty known as the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, adopted a decision banning exports of hazardous wastes for any reason from member states of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), such as Australia, to non-OECD countries, such as South Africa.

At that time, Australia joined in the decision and stated they would abide by it. In 1995, the Basel Convention decided to take the further step of making the "Basel Ban" part of the actual text of the Convention through amendment.

While the amendment has not yet received all the necessary ratification to enter into force, all Basel Parties, including Australia and South Africa, are obliged to honour the decisions of the Basel Convention.

The organisations said the 60 tonnes of hazardous waste imported from Australia also disregarded several Organisation of African Unity (OAU) resolutions, such as the Bamako Convention, which bans the import of all hazardous wastes into the continent.

The Bamako Convention is in force but has not been ratified by South Africa.

"This is the first time that the 1994 Basel Convention's Dumping Ban decision has been intentionally violated," says Jim Puckett of BAN, an international waste trafficking watchdog organisation.

"And it is the first time an African country has intentionally imported toxic waste since 1994. The arrogance or naivety on the part of Australia and South Africa in this latest scheme makes a mockery of international agreements."

The toxic waste, called "paragoethite", which originates from the Australian mining and smelting giant Pasminco, contains high levels of lead and arsenic.

It was sent to the South African firm Mintek where, according to the South African government, it was used for recycling "research" and then the residues were to be returned to Australia.

So far, the fate of the wastes and the amount of exposure to workers and the contamination left on South African soil remain unknown.

Arsenic damages many tissues including nerves, stomach and intestines, and skin. Breathing inorganic arsenic increases the risk of lung cancer and ingestion increases the risk of skin cancer and tumours of the bladder, kidney, liver, and lung.

Lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body.

Exposure to lead is more dangerous for young and unborn children.

Harmful effects include premature births, smaller babies, decreased mental ability in the infant, learning difficulties, and reduced growth in young children.

"The community of African nations have unequivocally stated 'no' to foreign toxic waste dumping on our continent," said Linda Ambler of GroundWork in South Africa.

"We demand that this never happens again, that South Africa renounces its part in waste trafficking forever hence and agrees to respect, ratify and implement the Bamako Convention and the Basel Ban Amendment as soon as possible."