When NECCSA was founded the vision was expressed that links may be established with similar networks in other parts of Africa so that an Africa-wide network of Christian earthkeeping organisations may emerge from that. Here is a letter to NECCSA from Earthkeepers Nigeria that provides an encouraging sign in this direction:

This publication by John and Jo Roff contains ideas and activities for sharing creation with people. It has been very popular with environmental educators and interpreters around the country. It is available as a hard copy from ShareNet, Box 394, Howick, 3290. It is also available in PDF format. You may follow that up at the following website:

http://www.nbi.ac.za/interpret/mainpage.htm

 
3. Meetings & Announcements

The Friends of the Tygerberg Hills invite you to participate in the following workshop:

The giant USA corporation, Monsanto, has applied for permission to bring GM wheat into South Africa to be milled, when no other country in the world has allowed this. This month the South African Council of Churches, together with other organizations, has registered its opposition to the granting of a commodity clearance permit for this. In what follows we quote from their letter:

"We object on the following grounds:

• there are no conclusive studies globally on the safety of GM crops for human consumption or their impact on the health of the earth and the biosphere
• Monsanto has not received clearance for the commercial growing of GM wheat from any other country in the world. We do not believe South Africa should be the first country to take the risk to allow GM wheat (seeds or seeds for milling) if the social, environmental and economic impact is of such concern to the rest of the world.
• there has been no adequate assessment of the human health impact of introducing GM crops (or milled seeds) in South Africa. We are therefore concerned that it would compromise human and animal immune systems and also antibiotic treatment. This is of direct concern for us regarding endemic diseases.
• there has been little transparent and full debate in South Africa on the fundamental issues underlying genetic engineering and decision making has happened without the public being fully informed.

The ethical norms required to guide decisions on genetic engineering need informed public discourse, with input from South African farmers, consumers and elected representatives and from other countries who have debated these issues for years. Decision makers and the public must be fully informed about the consequence of GMOs before the decisions are taken. We are concerned that the granting of this permit will open the door for future dumping of GMOs in South Africa using us as a gateway to the rest of Africa.

The government should, at the very least, follow the precautionary principle decided upon at the WSSD and not fast track a technology that is still inadequately tested. It should also keep in mind that wheat is a staple crop for millions of South Africans.

• We urge the government to extend the deadline for submissions until 30 May, 2004.
• We urge the government to disallow the import and growing of GE wheat in South Africa.
• We urge the government to review the GMO Act of 1997 in a process that is transparent and that implements strict biosafety legislation.
• We urge the government not to grant any more permits for GM crops (or seeds to be milled) until such time as we have closed the loopholes corporations are now using, to flood our land with untested and globally rejected seeds and GM foods.

We further urge government to urgently organise a national GMO Summit, bringing together all of the stakeholders in South Africa with resource persons from the Zambian and Canadian governments as well as experts from India, to discuss the long-term implications on our own seed stock, land fertility, biodiversity, and on human beings.

We also register our objection to the process being used by the Registrar and the Council on Genetically Modified Organisms. Public hearings have not been called. We are equally concerned about the lack of a civil society representative on this board.

We believe that the process is deeply flawed and may be in contravention of the Constitution."

Distributed by EM Conradie 26/02/2004