ATTENTION:

• Acting General Manager/Director Occupational Safety And Health
• Director Corporate Affairs
• Director Social Security
• Director Finance & ICT

13 July 2024

Dear Innscor Stakeholders,

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗭𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀..

We are writing to you as representatives of the Zimbabwe Anti Sanctions Movement, a civil society organization committed to advocating for the rights and well-being of Zimbabweans. Our efforts have historically focused on lifting illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe, which we identified as gross human rights violations.

We are reaching out to you as stakeholders of #Innscor to inform you of serious human rights violations perpetuated by the company. Innscor has been illegally selling GMO products laced with toxic chemicals like glyphosate and other heavy metals for human consumption. Furthermore, the company has been distributing GMOs for animal feed without government authorization, including unauthorized maize, soy, and cotton GMO strains. This activity directly contravenes Zimbabwean laws, compromises food safety, and violates the rights of Zimbabweans by exposing them to harmful substances.

Key Points of Concern:

𝟭. 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗠𝗢𝘀: Despite the government of Zimbabwe’s authorization on 11th March 2024 for the importation of BT maize GMO from South Africa solely for animal feed, Innscor has continued to sell unauthorized GMOs for human and animal consumption. Our lab tests have confirmed the presence of toxic chemicals like glyphosate in these products.

𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲: The legal case between Innscor, the #GrainMillersAssociation, and myself as the Chairman of ZASM, along with the information I have generated about Innscor’s food, has prompted significant government action.

2.1. The government of Zimbabwe issued permission on 11th March 2024 for the importation of BT maize GMO from South Africa exclusively for animal feed, maintaining the ban on GMOs for human consumption. This decision was influenced by the publicized findings and advocacy stemming from our legal battle with Innscor and the Grain Millers Association.

2.2.On 14th March 2024, following our efforts, the Minister of Agriculture reassured the Senate that the ban on GMOs for human consumption remained in place to protect Zimbabweans.

2.3.Furthermore, on 14th April 2024, the National Biotech Authority issued a directive to halt illegal GMO imports, and

2.4. on 2nd July 2024, Prof. Fanuel Tagwira announced plans to tighten GMO regulations to safeguard human health and the environment.

These policy changes and public responses clearly indicate that the government has accepted our argument that GMOs and associated toxic chemicals pose a significant health risk. The government’s actions demonstrate their acknowledgment of the dangers posed by GMOs and glyphosate, reinforcing our stance and validating our concerns.

𝟯. 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀: According to the World Health Organisation, Zimbabwe has the highest cancer death rate globally, a situation we suspect is exacerbated by the consumption of GMOs and glyphosate-laced products from South Africa.

Following Zimbabwe in cancer death rates are South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Congo, and the Reunion Republic, all of which have either introduced GMOs into their food supply or they allow the importation of these foods.

The correlation between these substances and health deterioration has been well-documented, including in the 2014 Journal of Organic Systems research on “Genetic Engineered Crops, #Glyphosate and The Deterioration of Health in The United States”

What is an interesting is Innscor operates in several of these countries: Zimbabwe, Kenya, Congo, Malawi and Mauritius, compounding the public health crisis.

𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Innscor’s actions, including filing defamation cases against whistleblowers like myself and manipulating legal processes, demonstrate a disregard for Zimbabwean laws and ethical standards. Innscor’s attempt to use South African courts to silence whistleblowers from commenting on their criminal actions that compromise food and health in Zimbabwe, is particularly troubling, as it suggests a malicious effort to exert imperial control over Zimbabwean discourse through white- friendly courts in South Africa. This action undermines our national sovereignty and reflects a blatant attempt to impose extraterritorial judicial influence on our right to address national interest issues.

Moreover, in 2020, MP Temba Mliswa made a public statement exposing how Innscor has historically corrupted the judiciary, law enforcement, prosecuting authorities and government officials to enjoy impunity for their crimes and indiscretions. This corruption and bribery are perceived to be the reason why stakeholders such as yourselves have remained silent about the issues we have exposed—issues that could potentially impact every Zimbabwean’s health and our national security.
The silence of stakeholders in the face of these revelations is deeply concerning and indicative of a broader pattern of cooption by Innscor to compromise our national security.

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀:

We urge you, as stakeholders, to uphold your fiduciary duty to hold Innscor accountable and ensure that the company adheres to ethical practices, human rights, and complies with Zimbabwean laws. The continued sale of unauthorized and toxic GMOs is not only a legal issue but a profound ethical violation that endangers public health and damages the company’s reputation.

It is baffling that Innscor has not ceased their illegal activities despite clear evidence of their harmful impact and strong public and governmental opposition. We must ask whether Innscor’s persistence in selling toxic GMOs and trying to gag whistleblowers, after such condemnation, is due to them perpetuating a biological and chemical war against the Zimbabwean people or because of the impunity they enjoy due to their market monopoly and the alleged bribery of government officials. Their actions suggest a deliberate perpetuation of biological and chemical warfare against our people rather than a responsible corporate response to legitimate health concerns.

We are currently engaged in legal battles against Innscor’s attempts to suppress our whistleblowing efforts and our next appearance in court in yet another application for contempt of court to try and gag me, is on the 16th of July, 2024 and we are confident to win that application as we have don’t in the last few fights.

We believe that these are shareholders’ monies that are being wasted on trying to protect Innscor’s right to break Zimbabwean laws and perpetuate a chemical and biological war upon our people. Surely the company is not protecting its brand equity through this fight, but they are advancing a diabolical agenda to feed our people toxic food which affects even the stakeholders in Innscor and their families. How then do you, as potential victims of the same food, turn a blind eye to this transgression of our national security and health?

The company’s choice to fight for the right to sell harmful products, rather than addressing the underlying issues, is deeply troubling. Innscor’s actions are not only illegal but criminal, and their persistence in these actions warrants strong condemnation.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:

We are coming to you to appeal to you to have oversight over a company that is publicly listed and that is supposed to have the public interest in health and national security interests of Zimbabweans.

If we do not get resolution to the issue, we will begin the process of writing to all other governments in the 10 countries that Innscor operates, about the toxicity of the food of Innscor and Simbisa brands. And we will go ahead and assist them to test all the foods in all these locales and begin a process of campaigning against this company while initiating the process of instituting class action against the company that clearly does not care about African human rights.

Thank you, we hope you will be able to do something about this crisis.

Sincerely,

Rutendo Matinyarare
Chairman of Zimbabwe Anti Sanctions Movement